Historically, when I’ve tried to make bread here in Colorado, I’ve gotten hockey pucks, bricks, or other building materials. Bread fails to rise, or rises and falls flat. It’s dense beyond belief, and while tasty, a loaf could feed an army for a week.
This most recent loaf came out nearly perfect, though! I used the no-knead recipe in the latest issue of Cooks Illustrated Magazine. The only problem I had was that I don’t have an instant read thermometer, and the recipe says to get the inside of the bread to 210 degrees. We couldn’t wait and took it out at 200, and yes, the inside was not quite done. Even so, it was still the best I’ve ever made.
One secret I’ve found is to use a light lager or pilsner beer. I had to explain to the liquor store lady why I was buying Budweiser! We usually drink good beer, like Arrogant Bastard Ale or Ruination IPA from Stone Brewing. But the recipe calls for a bottom fermented beer using lager yeast, so a pilsner was the best choice. Best and, as far as I’m concerned, only good use for a can of Bud. The recipe only uses 1/4 cup, so I dumped the rest. I probably should have given it to the chickens – they’ll eat anything.
Next time, I want to try the whole wheat and rye bread versions. Once I get closer to perfection, I’ll branch out into better beer while sticking with lager yeast.