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15 hours ago, ElainaA said:

Baking today - First English muffins - my mother's recipe - no nooks and crannies here, these are pretty dense. I grew up on these and Iove them. Especially with raspberry jam.

Then a loaf of CI's almost-no-knead bread. I have never made this before because it calls for beer - something we rarely have. But my daughter is a beer connoisseur and we had some left from her last visit home. I really like it. I might have to start buying beer. For those who make this - does the type of beer matter? Since neither my husband or I drink beer the remainder just goes down the sink so I would rather but something cheap. I'm afraid that what I poured down the sink today was not at all cheap.) Now if the recipe asked for wine there would be no problem.....

 

 

 

 

 

There are several quick-bread recipes for beer cheese bread, which I love, and I've done a yeasted bread that has beer, cheese and browned sausage that's marvelous with a spread of soft cheese as a snack or appetizer for a crowd, or with a soup.

I find that dark beers -- stouts, et. al. -- tend to make better, more flavorful breads. I used to make a bran quick bread with chocolate stout that was just stunning for breakfast. My very favorite beer for cooking is Green Flash Double Stout; hate it for drinking, but it's great in breads as well as in stews. It comes in a four-pack and ain't cheap -- $5 or more for four 12-oz bottles. But it keeps well if kept in a cool, dry place; I'll buy a four-pack in the fall and use it in carbonnades a la flamande, or chili, or just a braised beef dish of some description. 

I also tend to, when a recipe calls for a cup of it, to dump the whole 12 oz in and compensate by cutting another liquid or upping a dry ingredient. More good, yeasty taste.

I sampled my RLB potato sandwich loaf this morning. This may be the best sandwich bread I've ever made; it's much more moist than her basic sandwich loaf. It did not appear to have suffered from the bleached flour. I was somewhat puzzled by the recipe, which called for a mere two cups of flour and 1/2 cup potato boiling water. And I misread the recipe and used 4 tbsp, instead of 4 tsp, butter, a mistake I think I'll repeat, as the bread is so good.

15 hours ago, ElainaA said:

Baking today - First English muffins - my mother's recipe - no nooks and crannies here, these are pretty dense. I grew up on these and Iove them. Especially with raspberry jam.

Then a loaf of CI's almost-no-knead bread. I have never made this before because it calls for beer - something we rarely have. But my daughter is a beer connoisseur and we had some left from her last visit home. I really like it. I might have to start buying beer. For those who make this - does the type of beer matter? Since neither my husband or I drink beer the remainder just goes down the sink so I would rather but something cheap. I'm afraid that what I poured down the sink today was not at all cheap.) Now if the recipe asked for wine there would be no problem.....

 

 

 

 

 

There are several quick-bread recipes for beer cheese bread, which I love, and I've done a yeasted bread that has beer, cheese and browned sausage that's marvelous with a spread of soft cheese as a snack or appetizer for a crowd, or with a soup.

I find that dark beers -- stouts, et. al. -- tend to make better, more flavorful breads. I used to make a bran quick bread with chocolate stout that was just stunning for breakfast. My very favorite beer for cooking is Green Flash Double Stout; hate it for drinking, but it's great in breads as well as in stews. It comes in a four-pack and ain't cheap -- $5 or more for four 12-oz bottles. But it keeps well if kept in a cool, dry place; I'll buy a four-pack in the fall and use it in carbonnades a la flamande, or chili, or just a braised beef dish of some description. 

I also tend to, when a recipe calls for a cup of it, to dump the whole 12 oz in and compensate by cutting another liquid or upping a dry ingredient. More good, yeasty taste.

I sampled my RLB potato sandwich loaf this morning. This may be the best sandwich bread I've ever made; it's much more moist than her basic sandwich loaf. It did not appear to have suffered from the bleached flour. I was somewhat puzzled by the recipe, which called fora  mere two cups of flour and 1/2 cup potato boiling water. And I misread the recipe and used 4 tbsp, instead of 4 tsp, butter, a mistake I think I'll repeat, as the bread is so good.