Church Street Brewing Co. Scottish Ale Beer Bread

This beer bread post is way overdue.  All I can say is being sick does not mesh well with being productive.

Here is another tantalizing beer bread recipe featuring Church Street Brewing Co.'s Scottish Ale.  The Scottish Ale is a caramel and malty beer.  We both loved this one and thought it would make an excellent bread.  Turns out we were right! I love when that happens.

Through making countless loaves of beer bread I've learned a few tricks.  One of these is to heat your beer, grain and butter to about 115-120 degrees in a saucepan on the stove.  I heat up the beer mixture first and then get the rest of my ingredients ready.  This way the beer mixture is just the right temperature to help activate the yeast.  This also solves the previous problem of a slow rise with the beer bread.

Starting with this recipe, I'll include directions for using a bread machine to mix your dough also.  Even though I can make the bread without it, I normally take advantage of how easy it makes bread baking.  If you have a bread machine, I highly recommend this method as it will make your bread process much easier.  :)

Church Street Scottish Ale Beer Bread

2 cups flour
1 cup bread flour
3/4 cup oatmeal flour
3/4 cup spent grains
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup raw sugar
1 egg yolk
1 (12 oz) Church Street Brewing Co. Scottish Ale beer
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Traditional Method:  In a saucepan; combine beer, butter and spent grains.  Heat on low until mixture reaches 115-120 degrees.

In a mixer add: flours, yeast, salt and sugar; mix well.  Add heated beer mixture.  Mix on low until dough comes together.  Change to a dough hook and knead for 8-10 minutes.  Dough will be extremely wet.  Don't worry.  :)

Form dough into a ball and place in a well oiled container or bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise till double in size.

Bread Machine Method:  In a saucepan; combine beer, butter and spent grains.  Heat on low until mixture reaches 115-120 degrees.  Add ingredients in order preferred by your bread machine.  I add mine like this: egg yolk, salt, heated beer mixture, flours, sugar and yeast.  Set bread machine to dough cycle and start mixing.  *Note:  I've yet to have to add any moisture to this as its a very wet dough, but I always make sure the ingredients are fully incorporated before I leave the bread machine to do its thing.*

Finishing Directions for Both Methods:  Punch down dough and shape into a loaf to fit in a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.  Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise until double.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until loaf reaches 180 degrees.  Remove from oven, remove from pan and allow to cool on rack.

As always beer bread remains moist longer than any other bread.  It will still feel and taste fresh for days after baking.  This recipe in particular was much more like a traditional wheat bread flavor.  It was great as toast with eggs for breakfast.  That is if yours lasts until the next morning.  

Church Street Brewery Co. Brimstone IPA Bread

Are you ready for our second beer bread recipe?  We used Church Street's Brimstone IPA to make a fantastic sandwich bread.  This beer has a definite spicy note to it.  It definitely comes through in the finished baked bread.  The bitterness in the beer also lends a sourdough like quality to the bread.  This recipe makes an absolutely awesome sandwich bread or piece of toast.  Even 4 days after baking the bread tastes like its freshly baked.

Again, this is an extremely wet dough.  Don't add extra flour!  It really doesn't need it.  Remember, that beer bread takes longer to rise than regular yeasted breads.  Make sure to allow extra time for rising.

If you like the bitterness after finishing an IPA, then you may be surprised with this bread.  It still has that same extra kick.  You may find yourself reaching for a glass of beer.  :)  There is that same quality of moistness and density, but this bread recipe is for anyone that loves an extremely sour sourdough.

Brimstone IPA Beer Bread

2 cups flour
1 cup bread flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
3/4 cup spent grains
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup raw sugar
1 egg yolk
1 (12 oz) Church Street Brewing Co. Brimstone IPA beer
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In a mixer add: flours, yeast, salt and sugar; mix well.  Add beer, melted butter, spent grains and egg yolk.  Mix on low until dough comes together.  Change to a dough hook and knead for 8-10 minutes.  Dough will be extremely wet.  Don't worry.  :)

Form dough into a ball and place in a well oiled container or bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise till double in size.  Punch down dough and shape into a loaf to fit in a greased 9x5 inch pan.  Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise until double.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until loaf reaches 180 degrees.  Remove from oven, remove from pan and allow to cool on rack.

Chicago Breweries: Church Street Brewing Co.

Church Street Brewing Co., a new local brewery and our first visit!  Just our luck too, because Joe knows beer with a background in chemical engineering.  He can brew with precision.  They started in September.  They have a thirty barrel system and they are a brewery to watch.  You may only be able to stop by to pick up some beer or find it in a local bar, but in future they plan to bottle as well.

We got the entire rundown on the brewing process.  Joe and Lisa were most welcoming and willing to teach us more about their beers.  From start to finish, the process of brewing beer is straightforward and complex.  Each step has a purpose but the adjustments you make can change how your batch turns out.

Their beers are phenomenal.  As of our visit, they had four beers a Continental Lager, Bavarian Lager, Scottish Ale and a Brimstone IPA.  Their brews are versatile and cover a wide range of flavors.  I'd be surprised if you didn't find one that you liked.

Surprisingly, Alison and I both preferred the Scottish Ale.  Definitely a more mellow flavor to be expected with emphasis on caramel and malt.  It builds on what we already know that chocolate and beer go well together because they have similar flavor profiles.  (As I'm hoping that the bread recipe we make with this one adds in some chocolate to bring out that aspect of the flavor.)

The Brimstone IPA also struck a chord with us.  I've always been a bit leery of beers because of the potential bitterness, but when you know it's intended you can enjoy it more.  That kick that lasts even after you swallow.  With strong hints of citrus that add another layer to the flavor we knew it would make an excellent bread.  It truly lent itself to become a sourdough.

The Bavarian Lager is fuller.  There is more behind the flavor as you combine the floral with the malted notes.

The Continental Lager is more traditional.  It sticks to a more middle of the road flavor. A brew that will blend with most other flavors making it perfect to drink anytime or place.

The Red Rye is true to it's name.  The rye is prevalent and even more so in a bread form. This brought joy as we enjoyed the heady flavors of rye grains.  A perfect compliment to any sandwich in either form.

Lastly, we're going to try something new with our breads.  All beer is made with grains.  Once the grains are used for this they're called spent grains.  They don't really have much flavor, but they are high in fiber.  Here's a photo of a portion of Church Street's spent grains from one batch of beer.  Church Street actually gives their spent grains to a cattle farm in Washington State.  Apparently the cattle love them, but not as much as they love Lucky Charms.  :)

Personally, I think its awesome that Church Street has found a great way to extend the life of their grains.  This way they don't end up in the garbage.  :)

Church Street Brewing Co. is located in Itasca, IL.  They have tasting hours from 4-7 pm every Friday afternoon.  Check back later this week to see our very first recipe!