Guinness Sourdough

What better way to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day than with a little Guinness? I took my go-to bread recipe and swapped out every drop of water for the stout. Surprisingly, it came out great. The loaves have a subtle malty aroma, but they don't actually taste like a pint of beer.

The Recipe (Yields 2 Loaves)

• 800g King Arthur Organic Bread Flour
• 672g Guinness (room temp)
• 192g Sourdough Starter
• 20g Salt

The Process

Autolyse (2 hours) Mix the flour and beer. Reserve about 60g of the Guinness to help incorporate the starter later on.

The Mix Add your starter and salt. Mix thoroughly using the Rubaud method until fully incorporated.

Strength Building Perform 3 or 4 sets of coil folds, spacing them 30 minutes apart.

Bulk Ferment (8 hours) Let it ride at 76°F in a proofing box.

Shaping Pre-shape and rest for 30 minutes uncovered. For the final shape, place the dough into baskets and let them sit on the counter for another 30 minutes.

Cold Retard Tidy up the shaping in the baskets by pinching the seams, then tuck them into the fridge for a 12 hour cold proof.

The Bake

• 450°F Covered: 25 minutes.
• 450°F Uncovered: 20 to 25 minutes (or until the crust is a deep, dark mahogany).