The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Stouts and Porters

Cactus Country's picture
Cactus Country

Stouts and Porters

I really likes me some thick, dark beers. Anyone got a recipe idea for a sourdough that can make use of some of the excellent chocolate stouts or chocolate porters that are out there? Flax, spelt, soakers, x% rye flour or whatever are welcome, but I'd like to avoid sweeteners and fats, unless you can school me on why they might be needed. I'm hoping for a catchy "You can't get this anywhere else" kind of bread for my bakery (no hearth, no steam), and I make all my ingredients public knowledge. Thanks!

ehanner's picture
ehanner

I've made this a few times and enjoyed it immensely. Use the search tool here using stout beer and beer bread and you find a few that have been done. My last batch or two I used a nut brown ale I brewed. That was good but I liked the one I did with Guinness Black the best.

Eric

breadsong's picture
breadsong

Hi,
I thought of this post when you mentioned 'chocolate porter' above:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/6427/chocolate-porter-bread
(some sweetener though, molasses + sugar, and some cocoa)
:^) breadsong 

 

Cactus Country's picture
Cactus Country

Thanks to you both. I tried Katie's award-winner first.

That is one extremely fine loaf of flax bread, but it doesn't have the star power I want. Canadian liquor prices are much higher than in the states, and if it's going to cost $2 to $2.50 per loaf just for the beer ingredient, then the bread's going to reach a price point that the eater will only accept if the bread is uniquely awesome from bite one. In a bigger city I could move $7 loaves more easily. Out here I'll be the first to charge $7, but it's got to be bread people will talk about.

So I'm going to try try the choc porter next. More ingredients, but it contains cocoa, and we'll see if that bitter little bean brings bang for buck.  Meantime, I'm very much enjoying katie's flax bread for breakfast. It's certainly the grandest boule I've ever made.

loydb's picture
loydb

I miss homebrewing :(

For brewing a stout, some of the characteristic flavor comes from very dark-roast malt (called chocolate, referring to color). If you can get your hands on some and mill it, that will boost the flavor. Alternately, dark-roasted (Full City+ to Vienna) coffee ground fine (espresso grind) could provide something similar.