This weekend marks the start of a run of beer-based bread antics…
Saturday, I travelled accross several counties to visit the old folks, armed with the gift of loaf: a handsome looking ale-poolish loaf I'd baked the night before.
Sunday: I baked a Guinness and rye flour loaf. It begins likes this: Guinness, flour and yeast are whisked together and left to ferment for a few hours, creating a kind of poolish. More flour and a little salt is added to it before being worked for about 5-10 minutes. Next? You know the score: rest, stretch, rest, shape, prove and bake.
The baked loaf was pretty good, the rye and Guinness imparting a strong malty almost aniseedy taste. With plenty of white flour added to the poolish style ferment the loaf is also surprisingly light. Guinness is generally for drinking in our house, though it it has been sloshed into sausage casseroles before, but it also makes a good sturdy ingredient in bread.
To the lads at Guinness: if want to send me a free keg or two to say, 'thanks for nod' then drop me a line.
Next weekend, I'm planning to make an ale barm loaf: live bottle-conditioned ale mixed with a little leaven. I'm excited. I really am.
