Beer Focaccia Bread
Jackie Dodd-Mallory
(Senior Editor)
Think for a second about how long we’ve been doing this.
How long people have stood in kitchens, mixed yeast with flour, warm liquid, sugar, salt. Watched it rise, smelled it as it baked. Even before anyone knew what yeast was, bakers had figured out how to use it. Centuries of bread baking and little has changed, this is proof of how perfect the process really is. How magical the end result, and accomplished we feel when it all comes together.
The first few times I tried making bread I failed. The bread didn’t fail, I did. I failed to respect the process. To understand that "rapid rise" yeast wasn’t the same as regular dry active yeast, that temperatures matter, that a rise might take two hours on a cold day instead of one, that the time spent with the bread is rather minimal in comparison to what you’re given.
Then I started adding beer. The yeast already in the beer, the grains it was made with, it’s like water on steroids when making bread. It’s like Super Water when baking. I like a wheat beer, it just seems to make sense. I like a bottle conditioned beer that still has some rowdy yeast running around. I like a beer with a low hop profile. But most of all I love the moment when I check the dough and see the soft pillow rising in the bowl, and I know it’s a small win for the day. These days, we could all use a few small wins. And serve it with a cold beer.
Beer Focaccia Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tbs sugar
- 1 tbs fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 package rapid rise yeast
- 1 1/2 cups beer pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- for the top:
- 1 tbs coarse salt
- 1 tbs fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 tbs olive oil
Instructions
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitter with a dough hook, add 2 cups flour, sugar, 1 tablespoon rosemary, and yeast.
- Heat the beer to 120 to 125 degrees F.
- Add the beer to the stand mixer, turn the mixer to medium, mix until combined.
- Add the remaining flour, ¼ cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Turn the mixer to medium high, beat for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm room until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Lightly oil a 9x13 pan. Transfer the dough to the pan, pulling to cover the entire pan. Press your fingers into the dough making holes across the entire loaf.
- Cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Brush with remaining oil, sprinkle with remaining rosemary and salt.
- Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Comments
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar July 3, 2015 um 11:08 am
Whoa! So cool. I love how simple this is!
Thalia @ butter and brioche July 4, 2015 um 1:36 am
Love a classic focaccia and that fact that this has beer in it makes the recipe so much more attractive. Definitely I can see myself making.
marilyn July 14, 2015 um 10:02 am
Keep on writing, great job! I always love reading your blog
Kristi August 13, 2015 um 7:22 am
Made this last night and it was absolutely wonderful! I used a Czech pilsner, very easy recipe. Will be put in our favorite recipe file!
Jackie August 13, 2015 um 10:33 pm
That’s awesome! I’m so glad 🙂
Mark February 17, 2017 um 3:56 am
Another great post. Can’t wait to try this in place of our usual no-knead olive oil and cornmeal pizza dough. Just as simple and there’s beer involved!!
Jessie December 31, 2023 um 1:18 pm
I’ve made this a few times, but added some chopped sun dried tomatoes and some grated Parmesan! Great recipe!