Black Pepper Cheddar Beer Bread
Soft and fluffy black pepper cheddar beer bread. The combination of stout, cheddar, and freshly cracked black pepper creates an alluring attractive flavor that keeps you coming back for more! You can shape the yeast beer bread dough into dinner rolls or turn it into a loaf. Yield: makes 12 rolls
Servings: 12
Equipment
- stand mixer with dough hook attachment
- kitchen scale
- kitchen thermometer
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon (9 grams) active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup warm water about 110°F
- ⅔ cup dry stout beer (such as Guinness), room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (27 grams) dark brown sugar packed
- 2 Tablespoons (28 grams) melted unsalted butter
- 3 ½ cups (420 grams) unbleached bread flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups (130 grams) shredded cheddar cheese
- Egg Wash, see notes
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let sit for 5-7 minutes until mixture is foamy and yeast is activated. Pour mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add beer, brown sugar, and melted butter. Whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and pepper. Attach dough hook to stand mixer. Add half of flour mixture to mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until dough starts to come together. Add remaining flour along with the shredded cheese. Continue to mix on low speed until dough forms into a ball.
- Increase speed to medium and knead bread for 3 minutes until dough is smooth and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer dough to a lightly greased large bowl. Cover and let dough rest for 45 minutes until dough has doubled in volume. Punch dough down. Divide dough into 12 equal parts. (Use kitchen scale to divide dough by weight to ensure equal sized portions.)
- Roll portioned dough into balls. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet (18 x 13-inch). Cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rest for 30 minutes to rise.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic wrap cover. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush egg wash over the bread rolls.
- Bake for 30 minutes, rotating baking sheet after 15 minutes. Bake until rolls are rich golden brown on top and the internal temperature of the bread registers at least 190°F. Cool slightly before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- To make egg wash: whisk together one large egg, 1 tsp water, and a pinch of salt.
- Keep cooled bread in a plastic bag (or bread box/container) for up to three days. Otherwise, tightly wrap any remaining rolls and keep frozen for up to 1 month.
- To make a breakfast sandwich: horizontally slice bread roll in half and lightly toast. Add a few slices of ham and thick slice of cheese on bottom bun. Set bottom bun under broiler/toaster for a few seconds until cheese has melted. Add fried egg. Season with a little salt and pepper. Place top bun over egg and ENJOY!
- How to shape dough into a bread loaf:
- In Step 4, instead of dividing dough, pat dough into a rectangle about 9x12-inches.
- Fold into thirds like a business letter. Tuck in the sides. Place inside a well greased 9x5-inch bread loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap. Proof bread for about 30 minutes until dough rises to top of the pan.
- Brush top of dough with egg wash. Bake for about 35 minutes until instant read thermometer inserted in center of loaf reads at least 200°F.
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Special Equipment:
- I used this kitchen scale, kitchen thermometer, and pastry brush