So I've been fine-tuning my bread making skills and was thinking about substituting beer for water in a recipe. Thought maybe a Russian Imperial Stout in a black Russian loaf could work. Has anyone made yeast bread and put craft beer in it. And most importantly had a awesome loaf as a result?
I was thinking the same thing myself lately. I assume that as long as you make sure the dough is the consistency it needs to be all should work out. The only reason I haven't dumped an FBS into a loaf was I was wondering if loafs that have sugar in them would need the sugar adjusted. but hey....grab an everyday stout and try it out before using something special right?!
maybe not what you are looking for but i bought a mix of larry the cable guy beer bread and mixed in a can of pbr and it came out delicious
On a more serious note, as an amateur baker who has experimented with beer in bread from my experience I think the most important thing is to let your beer warm to room temperature, keep your liquid:solid ratio consistent and to have fun with it! I've had good results with pale ales and amber ales in making pizza dough and Italian-style bread, but honesty I found the impact of the beer to the final flavor to be minimal at best. Black Russian bread = Rumpernickel? Rye? Do let us know how it turns out!
Did you notice if the beer affected your usual rise? I ask because I'm curious if the alcohol and added acidity of beer might affect yeast performance. OP, while I've not done this, another thing to consider is gluten. Flour doesn't form gluten when mixed alcohol like it does with water, so it might be a good idea to knead a bit longer than you would with all water, particularly if you go with a high-ABV RIS.
Hm. Good question. I am a big fan of the "slow rise" (Peter Reinhart!) and would have had at least an overnight rise at the time. Might be worth experimenting once again as I'm trying more sourdoughs/wild yeasts these days. Fun stuff!
