Malt beer knots

I’m not a huge beer fan. Seldomly, maybe one or twice a year, I like to have a little bit beer. That happens normally when we are in Belgium and then I prefer some beer from a small (family-) brewery like Brugse Zot. I don’t like Kölsch, a beer that is typical for the region I’m living, and the same is true for Pils, too.

That is not the best starting point to bake a Bread with Beer for the 5. Birthday of Bread Baking Day. I tried it anyway, but was not convinced of the taste of the bread I baked. And so I decided to cheat a little bit and bake some rolls made with malt beer. I used a local brand “Golden Malz” which is produced in a brewery only 9 km from where I live. It is a real piece of home.

The malt beer knots turned out great. Their taste has deep, malty nuance which fits nicely to the nutty taste of the fresh milled wheat in the rolls and the complex aromas which are created during the slow fermentation. The crumb is soft and fluffy and gets a nice light brown hue due to the malt and the crust is crunchy. A good tasting bread for sweet honey or  jam but great with cheese, too

Malt beer knots

• 150g Wheat, freshly milled
• 350g flour Type 550
• 330g water
• 1g fresh yeast
• 10g Salt
• 60g Butter

Knead all ingredients in the kitchen machine 5 min at slow speed and 5 min at high speed.

Ferment overnight at room temperature (about 10 hours).

Heat the backing stone in the oven to 230°C.

The next morning divide the dough into pieces of 85g each. Roll each piece to a strand of 30 cm length and form a knot. Place the lower end under the knot.

Proof for 40 min.

Bake for about 25 min at 230°C with steam.

I sent this entry to Yeastspotting, Susans weekly showcase of yeast baked good.