Do you Cook/Bake?

[Urmas]

Yes please!

Batch for a 25-cm tin (e.g. THIS ONE ):

0,33 l ("small" bottle/can) dark lager
1 bag dry yeast (or 25 g fresh yeast)
2 teaspoons salt
1 dl dark syrup or bread baking syrup (look HERE )
1 dl rye flour
1 dl rye malt flour (may be an uphill battle to find in the U.K. — use something like THIS instead)
2 tablespoons sunflower seed kernels
2 tablespoons oat bran
2 tablespoons oat flakes
1 tablespoon crushed flaxseed
1 heaped tablespoon lingonberry jam (optional)
4-5 dl wheat flour (preferably coarse, but all-purpose is OK, too)

Heat the beer until it is lukewarm — and a tad more than that (ca. 43°C) if using dry yeast.

In a large bowl, combine beer, yeast & syrup. Add all the other ingredients. Mix well (elbow grease or a minute or two in a stand mixer) — just so that everything is mixed together. No kneading. The dough is meant to be wet and runny-ish like this one here:

Proof twice. Not mandatory, but always a good idea. First in the bowl ('til doubled in size, this'll take longer than with "normal" yeast breads), then in the (greased) tin.

Bake ca. 1 h 45 mins in 160°C, on the lowest rack.

In a cup/small bowl, mix 1 tbsp dark syrup with 3 tbsp water. Brush the top of the bread with syrup/water mix ca. 30 mins before done. When the time is up, take the bread out of the tin brush the whole bread with the syrup/water mix.

Wrap the bread in aluminium foil and wrap "the package" in a kitchen towel or two. Leave to cool overnight.

I would wait for a day or two before eating it. In fact, the consistency just keeps improving with time, and the bread'll keep totally edible and delicious for a week or two.

It likes cheeses or gravad/smoked salmon. Or those pickled herrings.

 

[Becky]

YUM!

 

[Urmas]

YUM!

Go ahead and bake a loaf! OK, fine, the list of ingredients is a long one, but other than that... totally straightforward.

I am kinda counting on this bread to work as "gateway drug bread" to the seriously good stuff, i.e. 100% rye sourdough bread. Not too many ingredients there: starter (made of water, rye flour... and time), water, rye flour, salt... and some more time:

 

[Becky]

gateway drug bread

Haha!

I'll certainly have a go at this bread. I have all the ingredients apart from the rye flour and rye malt, although I do have some malted brown strong flour in the house at the moment. I guess if I can't find the malt, I could substitute the wheat flour + rye malt for my malted flour...?

 

[Abarbarian]

Scrumptious

Mind you some ogorki would go a treat with them.

 

[floppybootstomp]

I cook, I think I'm quite good at it as well but baking?

I was never any good at baking. I tried but must confess most of my efforts were dismal failures

My Mum, on the other hand was very good at baking, every time I used to visit her I'd get to bring some home made goodies home.

 

[Becky]

I enjoy baking - mainly because I like eating the results! - but also because generally speaking if you follow a recipe you get the result. That isn't the whole picture, and there is a lot to learn when it comes to problem solving, but I'm a very good recipe follower. Honestly I feel like a fraud a lot of the time when people are giving me praise for cakes etc, when all I did was follow the recipe to the letter

My brother is more of a rebel and likes to improvise - consequently he's a great cook but a terrible baker!

 

[Urmas]

I guess if I can't find the malt, I could substitute the wheat flour + rye malt for my malted flour...?

Sounds like a plan. BTW, if you need dark syrup (bear in mind that I don't have a very good idea of what is available in "normal" groceries/supermarkets in the UK), I found THIS shop (they do have a store and a café in London): Skandi Kitchen "Ö".

 

[Becky]

Sounds like a plan. BTW, if you need dark syrup (bear in mind that I don't have a very good idea of what is available in "normal" groceries/supermarkets in the UK), I found THIS shop (they do have a store and a café in London): Skandi Kitchen "Ö".

They have that at Ocado (which is where I do my food shopping)

Could I use treacle instead? I already have that in the cupboard, so it would save having to buy in an extra ingredient.

 

[Urmas]

Mind you some ogorki would go a treat with them.

Ooh yes! My favourites are THESE Estonian delicacies.

 

[Urmas]

Could I use treacle instead?

Yup. It's in the same ballpark. Golden syrup would be too mild for the job.

 

[Urmas]

They have that at Ocado (which is where I do my food shopping)

I took a sneak peek and they seem to stock all kinds of good stuff. Heck, they even have Fazer's Geishas!

Mind you, I'd stay MILES away from those. Addictive stuff.

 

[Becky]

I don't eat chocolate anymore (migraines) so that's an easy one for me to avoid!

Ocado is pretty good though, they've got a great selection. Been using it for over a year now and wouldn't go back to regular supermarket shopping.

 

[bootneck02]

My wife is a qualified Chef so I leave the catering to her

 

[Becky]

@Urmas my Saaristolaisleipä is in the oven!

 

[Urmas]

@Urmas my Saaristolaisleipä is in the oven!

Great! Now... wrap it, tuck it in for the night, and then bag it for a day or so. Meanwhile, get some cheese (e.g. Edam) and/or gravad/smoked salmon etc.

 

[Becky]

We each tried some today and @Ian declared it the best bread he's ever had!

Now here's my confession - I usually don't like rye bread. The stuff I've had before it always dry and crumbly, and the flavour was never good. But oh how my eyes have been opened now! Definitely making this stuff again, in fact I think it will become a regular feature

Now the big question is... how do I stop Ian from eating it all at once?!

 

[Urmas]

We each tried some today and @Ian declared it the best bread he's ever had!

Ach, mein dewiousch plan isch workink!

The stuff I've had before it always dry and crumbly, and the flavour was never good.

That's NOT rye bread. That's bad bread.

Now the big question is... how do I stop Ian from eating it all at once?!

Sorry, dunno how to help you with that... except, maybe, next time, bake two loaves!





(So glad you guys liked it.)

 

[Urmas]

P.S. That bread looks just like it's supposed to. Well risen and all. DOUZE POINTS POUR LE ROYAUME-UNI!

 

[Becky]

P.S. That bread looks just like it's supposed to. Well risen and all. DOUZE POINTS POUR LE ROYAUME-UNI!

Thanks for the fantastic recipe!

Another benefit was that we only have half-litre bottles of beer in the house at the moment, so I got to have the leftovers with my lunch yesterday