German Beer Bread with Yeast

This beer bread with yeast can be made with a combination of rye and wheat flour or only wheat (all-purpose) flour. Two distinclty different tasting breads will result. With rye the texture will be denser and chewier, the flavor earthy and with sour notes from added vinegar. With all-purpose flour only the bread will have classic white bread texture and sweetness, enhanced by the use of a sweet German lager known as helles or an original Czech pilsner.

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 2 35

Servings: small loaves or dozen rolls

Calories: 415kcal

Author: Milena Perrine

Ingredients

Rye Version

3 ¼ cups rye flour*
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
12 oz helles German lager or Czech pilsner or American craft lager
1 package dry active yeast 2 ¼ tsp
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon heaping caraway seeds
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoon olive oil or vegetable or sunflower oil
½ cup water
½ tablespoon white vinegar

All-Purpose Flour Version

5 cups all-purpose flour
12 oz helles German lager or Czech pilsner or American craft lager
1 package dry active yeast 2 ¼ tsp
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon caraway seeds optional, may omit when not using rye
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoon olive oil or vegetable or sunflower oil
½ cup water

Instructions

RYE VERSION

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand up mixer) make a starter for the beer bread dough. Warm up 1 cup of the beer (to lukewarm, in the microwave) pour it into the bowl and add the yeast, sugar and about ⅓ cup of the wheat flour. Mix and allow the yeast to activate for 10-15 minutes.
Grind half of the caraway seeds to very fine. Reserve the rest.
Add the remaining wheat flour, all the rye flour, the salt, the ground caraway and the cooking oil to the starter. Next add the remaining beer, the water and the vinegar. Mix with a wooden spoon.
Use the hook attachment on medium speed to knead the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Alternatively, on a clean floured surface knead the dough vigorously for about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for 60 minutes to rise.
Turn out the dough onto a floured surface, knead for a couple of minutes and shape into rolls or loaves or a combination. For example, you could divide in into ⅓ for a small loaf and ⅔ for rolls. Shape the ⅓ into an oblong loaf and divide the ⅔ into 8 or 10 uniform pieces and shape into balls for rolls. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper and place the shaped dough on top. Let rest another 45 minutes (covered) until it rises again.
Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Place an oven safe bowl of water on lower rack.
Brush the loaves/rolls with a bit of water and sprinkle with the remaining (unground) caraway seeds. Bake for about 15-18 minutes (or until golden brown) for rolls and about 20-22 minutes (or until golden brown for loaves). If baking a combination leave the loaf a bit longer.

ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR VERSION

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand up mixer) make a starter for the beer bread dough. Warm up 1 cup of the beer (to lukewarm, in the microwave) pour it into the bowl and add the yeast, sugar and about ⅓ cup of the flour. Mix and allow the yeast to activate for 10-15 minutes.
If using caraway, grind half of the caraway seeds to very fine. Reserve the rest.
Add the remaining flour, the salt, the ground caraway (if using) and the cooking oil to the starter. Next add the remaining beer and the water. Mix with a wooden spoon.
Use the hook attachment on medium speed to knead the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Alternatively, on a clean floured surface knead the dough vigorously for about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for 60 minutes to rise.
Turn out the dough onto a floured surface, knead for a couple of minutes and shape into rolls or loaves or a combination. For example, you could divide in into ⅓ for a small loaf and ⅔ for rolls. Shape the ⅓ into an oblong loaf and divide the ⅔ into 8 or 10 uniform pieces and shape into balls for rolls. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper and place the shaped dough on top. Let rest another 45 minutes (covered) until it rises again.
Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Place an oven safe bowl of water on lower rack.
Brush the loaves/rolls with a bit of water and sprinkle with the remaining (unground) caraway seeds (if using). Bake for about 15-18 minutes (or until golden brown) for rolls and about 20-22 minutes (or until golden brown for loaves). If baking a combination leave the loaf a bit longer.

Notes

*You can use light or dark rye flour. If you want to dial down the rye a bit, reduce the quantity by 1 cup and increase the all-purpose flour by the same amount.

Nutrition