Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Recipe: Beer Bread

Beer bread - perfect when the local store has run out and the nearest bakery is a couple of hundred kms away.

First you need a recipe, I asked at the local pub - well, why not? and the nice publican insisted on checking out Mr Google, and printed out the recipe for no charge. Great service!
"The Family Hotel" Tibooburra
Ingredients -
3 cups of flour -  the recipe specified white flour, but I used atta flour (a wholemeal flour traditionally used for making Indian flat bread) - it was all I'd packed. (My attempt at making flat bread was a total  disaster.)
3 teaspoons baking powder - This required a trip to the local store which didn't stock it, then off to the roadhouse which thankfully had a container at a reasonable price. I may have added either more or less. I didn't have a teaspoon so shook it into the palm of my hand and guessed, but it was windy and some blew away.
1 teaspoon salt - it tasted good so I must have got that right!
A stubbie of beer & water to make to 400 ml - this meant another stop at the Hotel to do a taste test prior to purchase. Tooheys Old was the decision, but pretty much anything would work, I think chilli beer would add a certain piquancy. A bit of guesswork was needed as I didn't have a measuring cup, and of course there was the obligatory sample for the cook. Add enough to make the mixture squishy.
1/2 cup grated cheese - drat no fresh cheese on hand - I used dehydrated pre-grated parmesan cheese.
 No beer? 
Method - 
Mix. It helps to read the whole recipe before diving in. The cheese should have gone on top.

Bake - 
at 200 degrees C. Tricky with no oven. But flat breads are baked in a frying pan, damper can be cooked in all sorts of ways, including twisted on a stick and cooked over hot coals. So I divided the mixture in two, patted it out a bit, heated some oil in my fry pan, (on the gas hot plate so thoughtfully provided by the NSW National Parks people) flopped the mixture in, put the lid on, took a photo or two of the great scenery and after an indeterminate length of time when the bottom was crispy, flipped it over and cooked the other side.

Verdict-
Yummy! Now I want to try it with raisins and spices.
The hot plates and BBQ are under the green shelter to the right.
View over Tibooburra area and Sturt Nat Pk from Sunset Hill.
If anyone has a recipe for something similar, but with raisins and spices could you share please? I need to get some more variety happening.

Another recipe! Beer Bread
.

6 comments:

Ms. Becky said...

wow Sue, you are way braver than I. I wouldn't even consider making bread while out in the wild. it's hard enough to master my pizza dough in my own kitchen. it does looks delicious though. good job. I just love the word Tibooburra. happy week to you.

Manzanita said...

Aren't you the clever one. Making beer flat bread while away from hearth and home. I had no idea how to make flat bread. Thanks

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Sue .. I too would have baulked - loss of bread too bad! Good for you though being so inventive .. bet the beer man was duly impressed?! Cheers Hilary

Sue said...

Becky, it wasn't so much bravery as desperation. I wanted to dip bread in my soup and we only had a couple of dry bikkies. It's a great town name isn't it!

Manzanita, traditionally you wouldn't use the beer in flat bread, but it adds the raising agent due to the yeasts and sugar. It works well!

Hilary. really it's easy, and tasted great. The publican was a woman which is probably why she was happy to search out a recipe for me. I'm not sure that a man would have offered - I suppose I might not have asked if he knew the recipe either.

Please let me know if you try the recipe and how it goes. Enjoy your week.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Sue .. I love bread .. it doesn't love me - so rarely eat it and definitely don't make it .. because then I'd eat it!! Cheers and have a good weekend .. Hilary

Hart Johnson said...

Oh, this is great! I love beer bread.

Future tip. My uncle runs a rafting company and they can bake a CAKE in a fire. You use a Dutch oven (cast iron pan with a heavy lid) You let the fire burn out and bury the pan in the coals.

Still, I love beer bread, and fried sounds pretty darned good. I'd put savory stuff in--roasted garlic and herbs...