Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Bar update

I wanted to be done with clearing out the bar area of the basement by now,but things kept popping up that take priority over building a bar. Had to have some work done to my truck, birthday parties, family visits and running low on split fire wood. The firewood is now all split and stacked, and the next two weeks, for now anyway, seem to be not very busy for us. There's some rainy weather on the way, so that means I'll have time to get back to work in the basement. My goal is to have the bar side of the basement cleared out, the stuff put away, and to get started on framing the bar by Sunday. Wish me luck.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Spent Grain No-Knead Dough Recipe

(It only takes about 5 minutes to make the dough ahead of time)

6 cups All Purpose Flour
3 cups Spent Grains
1 1/2 tablespoons Yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon Sugar
1/4 cup Oil (canola or olive) or butter or margarine
1 1/2 cup lukewarm, room temperature or cold liquid
(this can be water, wort, milk, beer, or a combination)

CAUTION: Start by adding 1 cup of liquid, then add a 1/2 cup and test the texture of the dough. It's better to add more water than to add more flour to absorb the liquid. Remember, the spent grain is going to be wet too.

Put all ingredients in a 6 quart bowl or dough bucket. Mix by hand or with a mixer.
DO NOT KNEAD!

Let the dough in the bucket sit on the counter for approximately two hours, until it has doubled in volume. Don't worry if you forget it overnight, as long as there are no eggs in it it's okay.

Once it has risen, put it in the fridge or a cooler overnight, or for at least 3 hours. If it's cold outside you can put it on the patio or porch in a cooler. You want it in 36 to 40 degree temps so it will get good and cold, and be easier to work.

You can keep this dough up to 5 days. After 5 days it will start to turn color a bit, but it's still okay up to 7 days. You can also freeze it.

When ready to use, take the dough out of the refrigerator and immediately shape into bread loaf, cinnamon rolls, pizza, or bread sticks. For all but pizza let the dough rise for 30 minutes, then stick into a hot oven (400 or 450 degree oven) to bake. Bread is approximately 30-40 minutes, cinnamon rolls 25-30, and bread sticks 20-30. Further notes about pizza coming soon.

Hope you enjoy! This recipe was from a local homebrew shop we frequent. Happy brewing and baking!