Rye flour and ale give this loaf a deep golden colour and a nutty flavour. Amber ale makes this Rye & Beer Bread’s flavour warm and rounded, while stout makes it slightly smoky. The loaf tastes even better a day after baking, once the flavours have had time to mellow out.
- The new Great British Bake Off book ties into the 2024 season of the UK’s most popular cooking show
- Indulge in the very best comfort bakes that you’ll want to make time and again, with recipes from Paul, Prue and the bakers
- This new book showcases 80 wonderful bakes inspired by the show’s most popular signature themes – Cake, Biscuits, Bread, Pastry, Patisserie, Dessert, Chocolate and Free-from – celebrating the very best in comfort bakes
- Is there anything more comforting than the smell of a fresh bake wafting through the house? Paul, Prue and the 2024 bakers explore comfort in all its forms in these delectable, warm, cosy recipes
- These include cakes for cheery family get togethers; recipes with a sense of nostalgia; hearty and warming bakes for cosy nights; and low-effort and quick concoctions that are an immediate balm
More great recipes from your favourite Chefs
Read This Magazine participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
The Great British Bake Off’s Rye & Beer Bread
Print RecipeIngredients
- 400g strong white bread flour
- 175g wholemeal rye flour
- 3g fast-action dried yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 300ml amber ale or stout
- 75–100ml hot water
- 1 tbsp barley malt extract or runny honey
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
Instructions
Step 1. Mix both types of flour with the yeast and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook until combined.
Step 2. Mix the ale or stout, 50ml of the hot water, the barley malt extract or honey and the oil in a jug and pour the mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed to combine, adding more of the hot water if the mixture looks dry. Increase the speed to medium and knead for 7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Step 3. Tip out the dough onto a work surface and shape it into a ball. Lightly oil the bowl, return the dough, cover it with a clean tea towel and leave it to rise at room temperature for 1½ hours, until doubled in size.
Step 4. Tip out the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it gently for 20 seconds to knock it back. Shape the dough into a neat, tight ball and place the ball on the lined baking sheet with the seam on the underside. Slide the baking sheet into the proving bag and leave the loaf to prove at room temperature for 1–1½ hours, until doubled in size.
Step 5. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas mark 7 and heat the baker’s cloche or cast-iron Dutch oven, if using, at the same time.
Step 6. Dust the top of the risen loaf with white flour. Using a sharp knife, lame or razor blade, cut 3–4 slashes in the top of the loaf, then either slide the dough quickly into the oven on the baking sheet, or place the loaf in the hot cloche or Dutch oven. Cover with the lid.