September 30, 2008
Eating In: Spiced Pumpkin Beer Bread
Making bread at home can be daunting, even for the experienced home cook. Kneading and rising take time and muscle (or an expensive standing mixer), and the science of yeast can seem puzzling, to say the least. If this all seems like too much work, fear not. Delicious, homemade bread is within easy reach, thanks to one of the greatest baking discoveries of our time: beer bread.
The magical properties of beer (namely, yeast) make it a great stand-in for dry yeast and allow the baker to skip the entire kneading and rising process. Beer also adds flavor; and with so many different ales, stouts, lagers, and lambics on the market, the creative opportunities abound. As the weather turns cooler, now is a fabulous time to transform some seasonal brews into a warm, toasty loaf of bread. We chose Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale, a dark, caramel-y beer with a spicy, pumpkin finish. Paired with nuts and dried fruit, it produces a sweet, chewy loaf that tastes delicious plain or toasted and slathered with butter.
Adapted from Twin Tables' Pumpkin Ale Bread Recipe.
Shopping List:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1 12 oz bottle of Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale (available at Whole Foods and De vinos, or other pumpkin beer of your choice
Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, making sure to break up any brown sugar lumps. Stir in nuts and raisins.
3. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour 1/3 to 1/2 of the beer into the center. The beer will foam vigorously. Carefully fold some of the dry ingredients into the center, until enough foam subsides that you can safely pour in the rest of the beer. Gently fold the remaining beer into the dough until it is just absorbed. Be careful not to over mix or stir vigorously, as this will destroy the bubbles and make the bread dense.
4. Pour dough into loaf pan and smooth the top with a spoon or rubber spatula. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Pumpkin beer is not meant for human consumption
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Pumpkin beer is magical up until midnight, at which point it turns into a Mike's Hard Lemonade, exposing you for the fraud you are and leaving you with a terrible aftertaste.
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I'm on the fence about pumpkin beers, but I'm all up in that bread, yo.
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looks good to me! pumpkin beer has to have some good, and i think this fits the bill
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everything has a purpose and for me pumpkin beer is best consumed as a cooking ingredient and not as a faux beer beverage.
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I'm curious, why did you take out the vegetable oil and the pumpkin puree? Too cakey?
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Looks like a nice recipe, but I'm kind of tired of articles about bread that reinforce the myth that decent yeast bread is complicated, time-consuming, and out-of-reach for anyone not in possession of an expensive stand mixer.
People have been mixing up yeast breads at home since well before the dawn of electricity, much less complicated machinery.
The "no-knead bread" craze (google it!) that swept the interwebs last year is proof that delicious yeast bread can be achieved by anyone with five minutes, an oven, and 18 hours in which they can work/sleep/watch TV.
Even yeast bread that requires kneading can be accomplished in a couple hours by anyone with flour, yeast, water, a bowl and a spoon (or even just your hands). Kneading takes 10 minutes.
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I have to echo the Divine Ms K's comment, yeast bread is not difficult to make, at all. Through the ingredients in a bowl, mix, knead, rise, bake. Not hard to do, and no stand mixer needed.
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Katie: I'm just going to ask you one more time, not to belabor the point. Specific examples in which it is acceptable to drink pumpkin beer?
Caribou Barbie: I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you.
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@timtheviking2 - In the past I've used a different recipe for beer bread which did not call for oil. I honestly forgot to include it out of habit, and I found the bread to be plenty moist without it. If it had been too dry, I would have made a second batch with the oil. As for the pumpkin puree, it is a personal preference. I did not want the bread to taste like a pumpkin pie; here you can taste can still taste the beer as well the pumpkin. However, if you want more pumpkin flavor, try it with the puree.
@Divine Ms K - I agree that yeast bread certainly isn't rocket science; I've made it many times myself. However, not everyone is going to be willing to make yeast bread, either due to time constraints, lack of interest, or uncertainty about their cooking skills. For some people, it is a big leap to set foot in the kitchen at all. I hope a recipe like this will have broad appeal because it suitable for someone who is pressed for time and simple enough that it might encourage a first-time baker to give bread a try.
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Raisins are a blight on all baked goods.
Vote No to Raisins in 2008!