Beer and Swiss Cheese Bread

Beer and swiss cheese bread

It's cold in Europe this winter, and all I can think about is baking.  What is more satisfying and nurturing to the soul than baking bread?

This week I am sharing a recipe made with beer and cheese.  Okay.  I know what you are thinking.  Why would I waste a good bottle of beer on making bread?  I hear ya.  However, you have to think of the outcome - a delicious yeasty earthy bread!  And the cheese, well who doesn't love cheese with their beer?  You can use any semi-hard cheese for this recipe, but personally, I think swiss is the best.  (By the way, here in Europe, we call it Emmentaler cheese.)

This is a hearty bread - on the heavy side - which means it goes great with soup!

Here's the recipe...

Ingredients:

1 cup of beer plus one tbsp (flat and at room temperature)
3/4 cup swiss cheese
3 cups white flour
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup whole brown cane sugar (or regular brown sugar)
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast


Preparation:

If you have an electric mixer with a paddle attachment or a bread machine, just throw your ingredients together – keeping in mind your machine’s instructions – and let the machine do the kneading.

Keep in mind that this dough will be quite crumbly at the the beginning.  You - or your machine - will have to use an extra bit of force at first.  (I notice that my machine really has to work this dough.)

If you prefer hand kneading, see my note on hand kneading in my Best Ever Polenta Pumpkin Seed Bread Recipe.

When kneading is done, let the dough rise for about 45 min. or until it has doubled in size.  (This is a slow-riser so be patient.)

Once the dough has doubled, pour it out onto a floured board or countertop.  Knead the dough by hand for about 5 minutes, and then shape into a round loaf.  Place the round loaf in a round baking pan.

I use cornmeal on my Polish baking dish.
This prevents sticking and adds crunch.

Let the dough rise again until doubled in size.  (I use a damp cloth to cover the dough while it is rising.)


Scoring the loaf:

Once the dough has doubled in size (for the second time) using a sharp knife, score the loaf.  This helps in the release of steam during baking (and it looks lovely!)  I created a tic tac toe design on my loaf.

Tic tac toe!

Baking:

Bake your loaf for about 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 390 Fahrenheit (about 200 C).  After 15 minutes, turn your oven down to 350 (about 180 C) and bake for another 15 minutes.  (That makes 30 minutes in all.)

Immediately remove from the baking pan to the cooling rack.  Let cool before slicing.

Cooling...  Oh yum!

The aroma of this bread is wonderful - cheesy and delicious!

See the little bits of cheese?

Once you discover this recipe, you will find yourself making it again and again.

What do you think?  Do you want to give it a try?