Black Bread

 

Michael's brother bought Michael the Game of Throne cookbook for his birthday. (Thanks Adam!) If you are into Game of Thrones and you like to cook it is a must-have. After going through every recipe in the book we decided the black bread would be the first recipe we should try. It's a delicious bread that can be eaten with almost anything (we used it for sandwiches, cheeses, bruschetta, etc.), but would be amazing with a stew.

 

Ingredients

2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (1 packet)

One 12-ounce bottle dark beer such as a stout or porter, at room temperature

3 tablespoons honey (the original recipe calls for 2 tablespoons but we like it a little bit less bitter)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 egg, beaten

4 to 5 cups mixed flour (we used 2 cups of rye and 2 1/2 cups of TJ's whole wheat/white flour blend)

additional flour for working (once again we used TJ's flour)

 

In a small bowl, add the yeast and honey to the bear and allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes until it becomes foamy. Add the salt and beaten egg to the wet ingredients, then begin adding in the mixed flour, one cup at a time.

 

Once the dough forms into a cohesive mass, flour your work surface and turn the dough out for kneading. Need the dough for about 5 minutes until it bounces back when poked.

 

Cover with a clean dish towel and let it rise for at least 1 hour in a warm spot. I usually turn the oven on warm for a few minutes, turn it off and then put the dough in to rise.

 

Next, punch down the dough, put the towel back on and let it rise again for at least 2 more hours in a warm area.

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

 

 

Form the dough into two loaves and dust them lightly with flour. If you want you can use a knife to slash the tops in a decorative pattern.

 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned, then let it stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.

 

 

This picture shows the bread with goat cheese, pistachios and dates. I highly recommend trying this!

 

Enjoy!