Almost Too Easy Whole Wheat Beer Bread Recipe

A warm, hearty loaf of flavorful whole grain bread in about an hour.

Two days ago I wrote a post on how to make homemade beer bread. Since then, several of you have asked me about substituting whole wheat flour for some of the all-purpose flour in the recipe. Since I figured I could spare five minutes in the name of bread—and because I was getting curious myself—I baked this loaf of whole wheat beer bread a couple of hours ago.

Instead of the three cups of all-purpose (white) flour in the original recipe, I used two cups of whole wheat all-purpose flour and one cup of all-purpose flour. Both were organic. Organic flours bake up beautifully, don't cost a whole lot more than conventional, and are better for both you and the environment. Look for them in the bulk bins at natural foods stores and even some supermarkets.

I decided not to add any herbs or cheese to the basic mix. The batter was extremely thick and heavy, so I mixed in 1/4 cup (2 ounces/60 ml) of water along with the 12 ounces of beer. If it hadn't been nine o'clock in the morning, I would have opened a second bottle of beer and drunk the excess.

Within minutes of putting the bread in the oven, the kitchen smelled divine. I did let the finished loaf cool 20 minutes before cutting into it, but it wasn't easy. I tasted a warm slice slathered with organic butter and was very pleased with the results. This bread has a nice texture and is dense but not too heavy. It would stand up well to a hearty stew or chili.

I again used a bottle of our homebrewed Irish pale ale, and the flavor of the beer really came through. I think this version would also be good spread with cream cheese or herbed yogurt cheese. And after inhaling his warm test piece, Joe suggested covering toasted slices with sausage gravy. This bread has serious possibilities.

Farmgirl Susan's Almost Too Easy Whole Wheat Beer Bread Recipe
Makes one loaf

2 cups organic whole wheat flour
1 cup organic all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
14 ounces beer (or 12 ounces beer & 2 ounces water)

Optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. The batter will be thick.

Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan (I love my Chicago Metallic Commercial Loaf Pans, which are great for baking yeast breads, too), brush with the egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

More bread recipes on Farmgirl Fare:
Ten Tips For Better Bread
Farmhouse White: An Easy Basic White Sandwich Bread
My Favorite Easy Pizza Dough Recipe
Oatmeal Toasting Bread
How To Make Homemade Pita Bread in about an Hour
Fresh Tomato & Basil Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Savory Cheese & Scallion Scones (one of my most popular recipes)
Christmas Cranberry Scones (tasty all year round!)
100% Whole Grain Moist & Flavorful Bran Muffins (made without cereal)

Still hungry? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.

© FarmgirlFare.com, the freshly baked foodie farm blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote acres.

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