Cracked Wheat Beer Bread

Don't you love it when trouble shooting actually works? It never seems to help me with computers--more often than not I will exhaust the recommended solutions and still get the damn error message--but it will usually work in baking. This is the second attempt made at a beer bread, and it was a great success by my standards. I fixed the crumbly problem, and the loaf came out moist, sliced beautifully, and has been good for two days now. Just as Rose said--not enough gluten. An added TBSP of vital wheat gluten fixed that right up.
The other major difference was type of beer. I only used up the last of the Blue Moon Winter Ale on the last loaf, and I went out and bought a six-pack of a different, inexpensive pale ale from Trader Joe's. I was thinking to myself, I used a Winter ale the first time, and really liked the flavor, so a pale ale may not be that different, right? (I don't know that much about beer. I don't like the stuff.)
Wow, there was a huge difference in flavor. I use the real stuff all the time, actually--stews and marinades, mostly. I really can't distinguish one from another in a flavorful beef dish, but when the only other ingredients are flour, brown sugar and yeast, the flavor really shines. Beer when baked doesn't taste the same as when it's a drink--the alcohol is gone, and the flavors are muted, and the delicate flavors of the hops and wheat come out. It makes a very tender, delicious loaf, but I found that if you use a very mild-flavored beer, the flavor all but disappears. So what's the point of pouring an entire bottle into a recipe?
I did consult some sources in the creation of this recipe--as usual, I started by opening my many bread cookbooks--The Bread Bible, Joy of Cooking, and a couple of others. But the Bible had a crusty bread, which wasn't what I wanted, and Joy's recipe started with a cup of cooked white rice! Yuck! It makes me curious enough to try it sometime, (like the yogurt-granola bread recipe I found in an older cookbook) but it certainly didn't sound appetizing. So I really just patched this one together, tossing in some cracked wheat, using brown sugar, and now after two attempts, I have a delicious loaf that is moist, sweet, faintly beer-y, and versatile enough for any sandwich.


Cracked Wheat Beer Bread
(c) copyright 2008 earthwatersunwind@yahoo.com

Dry Ingredients:
7.5 oz whole wheat flour (1 1/2 cups)
5 oz bread flour (1 cup)
2 tbsp dry milk
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
*1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
* 1/4 cup extra bread flour, reserved

Wet Ingredients
1 (12 oz) bottle beer--use a darker ale or lager (I used dark winter ale)
1/4 cup cracked wheat
2 tbsp vegetable oil or melted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar

Bring beer to a boil in small sauce pan (watch for foam over!), stir in cracked wheat, and let sit at least 20-30 minutes.
Stir together all dry ingredients except salt and extra flour in mixer bowl or large bowl.
Add remaining wet ingredients to beer, stir to combine. If you have a thermometer, check the temperature, it should be between 110 and 125 degrees, or feel very warm to the touch.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir with wooden spoon to combine. Knead with your hand or a dough hook for a couple of minutes, until you have a rough, sticky dough. Cover and let rest 20 minutes.
After the rest, sprinkle on salt and knead on medium-low speed for about 6-7 minutes. The dough will still be very sticky, if it's not coming into a ball you can add a few extra tablespoons of flour as you knead. Don't worry if it's still sticking a lot to the bottom of the bowl--it will be fine. If doing by hand, knead for about ten minutes, but this is a pretty sticky dough, so be careful not to add too much flour.
Remove dough and turn onto a floured surface, and knead for a minute or two by hand. Dough should still be sticking to the board, so add just a little more flour as needed.
Roll into a ball and place into an oiled bowl, cover and place in a warm spot until dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour.
When risen, punch dough down, turn over onto itself several times, and shape it into a ball. Cover with a towel and let rest 10 minutes.
To shape dough, roll into a rectangle as wide as your loaf pan is long. Roll up jelly-roll style, pinching seam and ends tightly closed. Place seam-side down in oiled loaf pan, cover with towel and let rise until doubled and 1/2 inch over sides of pan, 40-50 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. Have an old pan on the floor of the oven, and make sure there is no rack above the rack you intend to bake your bread on.
Place pan into oven, and carefully toss a cup of ice cubes into hot pan, and shut door quickly. Bake 20 minutes, tent with foil, then turn pan around, and bake 20-30 more. Bread will sound hollow when done, and will read about 195 on a thermometer. Turn onto rack to cool, brush with butter for a soft crust, and wait 30 minutes before slicing. Makes one loaf.
I imagine this one would make the most out-of-this-world grilled cheese sandwich ever. A little spicy mustard, some sharp cheddar..mmmmm...I'm channeling Homer Simpson.


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