Every time I make this bread I am transported back to when my children were young and weekend dinners with our extended family were very common. None of us had very sophisticated tastes in those days, mainly because things were quite different in the 70s and early 80s, than they are today. There were no micro breweries, or wine tasting rooms (“good” wine came in boxes), or fresh herbs in every grocery store, or the Food Network……the list goes on and on. We felt lucky if we had a good meat market or seafood store in our vicinity! Times and food were just simpler then. It was very common in those days for one of the couples to call, even as late as a Saturday morning, for an impromptu dinner that evening. The hostess would usually prepare something like spaghetti or chili and the rest of us would bring beer or wine. There were no fancy appetizers or drinks, just lots of good food that we knew everyone would enjoy. There were always at least 2 generations at every meal, and never less than three dogs. The kids would join in the adult conversations or play games or watch TV, while the parents and often grandparents shared stories about their week, the state of the union, sporting events, etc. I often spearheaded these get-togethers, and when I did I would usually bake bread to go with the meal. And when I made this bread recipe, my son Sven would fill up on bread and ignore most of the rest of the meal. (Oh, he always saved room for dessert however, being the intelligent lad that he was.) What fun we had at those dinner parties. All the noise, confusion, and mess with never one argument or shedding of tears (among the adults that is). Just evenings spent with the best and dearest of friends eating, drinking and enjoying each other’s company.
- 12-oz. bottle of beer (I like Alaskan Amber)
- ¼ c. water
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 T. sugar
- 2 T. butter
- 2 T. yeast (or 2 pkgs.)
- 5 c. flour
- cornmeal
Heat beer, water, salt, sugar, and butter until very warm. Pour into the bowl of your stand mixer. Allow to cool to proper temperature for yeast to be added, about 105 degrees F. Add yeast; allow liquid mixture to sit (proof) for about 5 minutes. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead for about 5 minutes. Cover and allow dough to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes; punch down. Let rest 15 minutes. Shape in 2 long rolls on cornmeal covered pan. Let rest another 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack in your oven. When the oven is hot and the bread is risen and ready to be baked, being very careful not to burn yourself, pour two cups of very hot water in the pan in the oven. Quickly close the oven door to capture the steam. Next, place bread in oven on a rack above the pan containing the steaming water. Bake for about 25 minutes or until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when lightly tapped. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.
