Savoury beer bread recipe by Hed Chef
Hedy Khoo | The New Paper | Tue Jun 5 2012
Ms Treys Ladrido, 42, a beverage specialist with 26 years of experience in the hospitality industry, says while people do raise an eyebrow when it comes to using beer in cooking, it can give very pleasing results.
It also offers the home cook more economy than using wine or liquor.
But the same general rule of thumb for cooking with wine applies to beer.
Don’t cook with a beer you won’t drink.
Says Ms Ladrido: “Don’t buy the cheapest beer you can get your hands on.
Cook with something that you would drink because the flavour profile of the beer will colour the food.”
She explains that while the alcohol in the beer cooks off within a few minutes, the character and taste of the beer remain in the food.
Mr Colin Paige, 37, the brewmaster at Archipelago Brewing, who describes himself as “an ardent advocate” of handcrafted beer and food pairing, says craft beers generally have a little more character.
He adds: “There is a wide variety of beer available in Singapore, which somewhat mirrors the nation’s cosmopolitan mix. Beer aficionados are not short of options for a good fresh craft beer.”
My curiosity piqued, I cosied up to the mixing bowl in my kitchen to brew the right mix of batter for beer bread.
I tried out a variety of beers, from light to dark, from stuff I wouldn’t be caught dead drinking to beautifully labelled craft beers.
Colleagues and friends who bravely tasted the results of my experiments did prefer the loaves made with light beers, which Mr Paige recommended for bread making.
The bread made with dark beer had a bitter aftertaste. Most votes went to the one made with a premium pale ale.
Ms Ladrido says light beers have more delicate flavours, while dark beers have bolder flavours like caramel and spice.
On choosing a beer, she suggests you look at the alcohol content.
Generally, the higher the alcohol content, the more likely more hops were used in the brewing process, which accounts for the bitterness.
If you want to work with a dark beer, try adding more sugar or honey in your recipe to balance the flavours.
While the yeast in beer acts as a leavening agent, I found that adding a small amount of baking soda gives a fluffier texture to the final result.
Even then, don’t expect beer bread to be light and airy.
Beer bread is dense and heavy with a texture closer to cake.
Take care to not mix the batter too vigorously.
Stir gently to keep the batter aerated and for the ingredients to be reasonably mixed.
While most people perceive baking as an activity that requires precision, I’m happy to report that this is one recipe suitable for the carefree cook.
If you want to get better acquainted with craft beer, visit Beerfest Asia 2012 from June 7 to 10.
For more details, visit www.beerfestasia.com.
INGREDIENTS
330ml white beer, unchilled
130g all-purpose flour
200g wholewheat flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
100g tomato puree
(or substitute with a mixture of 1 tbsp of tomato paste and 50ml water)
50-80g grated cheese, romano or parmesan
50g sausage, chopped
2 white button mushrooms, chopped
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1 tsp dried oregano
5 tbsp olive oil
METHOD
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in pan and fry the chopped sausage and mushrooms for two minutes.
Set aside to cool.
Pre-heat the oven to 200 deg C.
Sieve all-purpose flour with baking powder and salt. Place in a mixing bowl.
Add the baking soda and wholewheat flour.
Add the honey and brown sugar.
Add the cooked chopped sausage and mushroom mixture, and cheese.
Put in the dried herbs, followed by the tomato puree.
Pour in the unchilled beer.
Stir just enough till the mixture becomes a sticky dough.
Avoid over-mixing the dough.
Grease the loaf tin and pour in the dough.
Pour remaining olive oil on top of the dough.
Place in oven.
Adjust temperature to 180 deg C and bake for 30-35 minutes.
To check if dough is cooked through, insert a skewer. If it comes out clean, the bread is cooked.
Serve on its own or with an extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip.