Baking Bread

>>9044671
Did you use baking powder or yeast in the recipe? If not, that's probably why. I don't think the carbonation from beer alone is enough to make bread rise. It's either got a rising agent like yeast or baking powder, or you have to use a beer that hasn't been pasteurized and still has active yeast in it.

Could also be that it was too dense. Dense bread dough won't allow for big air bubbles to form, so maybe add more liquid.

Can you post the recipe you used?

>>9044709
I used yeast.

It was this recipe.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/220129/no-knead-beer-bread/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=search%20results&clickId=cardslot%201

>>9044725
Hmm. That recipe is already at a fairly high hydration percentage, so you shouldn't have had to add more water. Did you measure the flour properly? If you don't have a scale to weigh it, spoon the flour into a measuring cup then level it off. If you just scoop the flour with the measuring cup, it'll get packed in there and you'll end up using more flour which could make the dough drier.

It's also normal for it to spread out and flatten a bit after shaping, unless you use a mold or something to help it keep its shape. Try shaping it in a way that'll help it spread out less, with the seam tucked underneath to give it more stability.

And if you don't have a super sharp knife or razor to cut the top, you can just skip that part or you'll end up making the dough deflate by dragging the knife through it.

>>9044755
I was using a dollar store measuring cup set.

After this loaf I went to amazon and ordered a bunch of upgrades to my baking supplies since dollar store stuff isn't cutting it anymore. I'll try molding it a bit better next time.

Thanks for the advice. I liked the bread so I'll try it again, I just want a better shape to it.

>>9044841
Well cheap measuring cups will be fine, it's just how you use them. Since flour gets compacted if you scoop with them, you have to spoon the flour into the measuring cup to keep it loose.

If you're upgrading your equipment though, you should definitely get a kitchen scale if you haven't already, especially if you're getting into baking bread. Using a scale is the only way to get consistent bread because if you're using measuring cups you'll always get different amounts of flour. If you do get one, just remember 30 grams = 1/4 cup of flour.

No problem, and good luck.

I'm baking my dad some pumpernickel for fathers day. This is my first time baking pumpernickel or rye in general.

Does anyone know if it is possible to make a no-knead variation? I'm horrible at timing the knead perfectly, so this would take a lot of stress out of it.

>>9045533
Most bread only needs to be kneaded until all of the flour has been mixed evenly, so don't worry about kneading for 15 minutes or whatever was recommended. It might make a bigger difference with wetter doughs, but you really don't have to knead that much.

>>9044846
I bought a kitchen scale.

I want to get into doing this more often since it wasn't that hard, but a little messy. I got better tools so I would make less of a mess.

>>9045908
Using a kitchen scale will make a big difference. Also consider getting bread flour, it has a higher protein percentage. Was the beer you used chilled or at room temperature? If it was too cold, that could definitely affect your fermentation.

>>9044671
Congrats on your first loaf, OP! Hope you join in some of the bread threads here!