This is the basic bread recipe I used to experiment with baking with beer yeast. Feel free to use this recipe as a jumping off point for your own experimentation.
1teaspoondry malt extract or powderor sweetener of choice
¼teaspoonactive dry yeast
Instructions
Whisk together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Pour the water on top.
Turn on your mixer (fitted with the dough hook) to low speed and mix for three minutes.
Raise the speed to medium and knead for seven minutes.
Rising Schedule I Used
Put dough in a 1-gallon zip top bag. (See Notes) Label (!) and let rise in a cool kitchen (65F) for 3 1/2 hours
Transfer to the fridge and let rise for a long over-night. Mine rose for about 10 hours.
In the morning, put the dough still in the bag on the counter for 3 hours.
Take dough out of its pouch.
Oil your hands, and punch down and knead a few times to redistribute the yeast. Round the loaf, oil and cover.
Let rise again for 3 hours.
Punch down again, press out all (most) of the large air bubbles, and shape.
Oil and cover. Let rise on a prepared baking sheet for another 1 1/2 hours
If you prefer, you can shape lightly and don’t press out the gases for a loaf with a more “artisinal” open-crumbed texture.
Slash (if you want) and bake at 350F for 25 minutes.
Remove from baking sheet and finish the loaf directly on the rack for another 10-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 200-205F.
Let cool completely on rack.
Slice and enjoy.
Notes
About the zip top bags--that was the easiest way for me to keep the loaves separate since I made 4 different ones. You can just use a bowl, covered, for rising if you're only making 1 loaf. In that case, be sure to spray or oil the exposed surface so it doesn't dry out.Since this dough is so slack and sticky, make sure to oil (or spray Pam on) your hands to keep it from sticking (to you or the counter) or to help you resist the urge to add more flour.Baking times are approximate and will depend on the initial temperature of your dough and how accurate your oven thermostat is. Keep an eye on the bread and be sure to take its internal temperature frequently towards the end of baking.
To Freeze
If you do not intend to eat or share the whole loaf within a day, slice it and then freeze in a heavy duty zip top bag. Then you can remove slices as needed.The bread will keep in the freezer for about 3 months. To thaw, take out the pieces you need and allow them to come to room temperature. You can also toast the bread from frozen or microwave it for just a few seconds to thaw it out more quickly.