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Baking with Beer:
Liquid Bread bakes Solid Beer

Monastic brewers called beer "liquid bread," while the legendary French baker, Lionel Poilâne reportedly refers to his bread as "solid beer." It's not a case of culinary confusion, just the mixture of human history through eating and drinking.

That's because, when baking with beer, you are partaking in the origins of brewing. Sumerian earthenware jars excavated in 1996 point to both bread-making and beer-brewing evolving side by side, about five thousand years ago.

Certainly, baking with today's beer is a snap. To bake a fresh crusty loaf, you just have to open a bottle and pour it into a quick-bread mix. But baking with beer in a yeast dough or dessert can be more challenging, due to the presence of hops and aromatics. Hops can alter the flavor of bread because the bitter flavor intensifies while baking.

When real ale is available, the yeasty bite of the unfiltered beer pairs well in savory baked goods, as well as some desserts. In quick breads, fritters and scones, the carbonation of beer adds light texture.

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