Reviewed: Dec. 30, 2011

Followed this recipe almost exactly (omitted the cornmeal). Made the sponge with a Sam Adams Winter Lager and let it sit a bit longer than 15 hours. Baked in a regular bread pan as one loaf rather than dividing into two and yielded 16 thick slices. Really liked the addition of the caraway and didn't find that the beer made the bread bitter at all. Will definitely make again.

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Reviewer:

Pyxis

Reviewed: Nov. 26, 2011

This dough seems very thick and dense, but rises well to produce a soft, pleasantly chewy bread after baking.

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Reviewer:

Laura

Reviewed: Aug. 13, 2011

This is a nice rye bread. I used molasses instead of sugar and added a heaping tablespoon of vital wheat gluten because I wanted a nice rise on it. It rose beautifully and made excellent reuben sandwiches. I do wish it was a little more robust in flavor, but for people that don't love dark breads, the fact that it isn't might be a bonus.

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Reviewer:

Citrus Punch

Home Town: Wilton, Iowa, USA

Reviewed: Jul. 6, 2011

I don't like rye bread, but wanted to try this since I know I like beer bread. I followed the recipe and used Leinenkugel's Creamy Dark for the beer. Strong and rich in flavor, it is excellent. I will definitely make it again.

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Reviewer:

Lisa C

Reviewed: Jul. 2, 2011

The rye flavor was a bit lacking, so next time I'll try increasing the rye/bread flour ratio (maybe to 3.5 cups rye, 1.5 cups bread) and see what happens. I'll also try using some almost undrinkably dark, stout wheat beer that I homebrewed a few months ago, as I think this'll be an excellent utilization. In other words this bread wasn't perfect, but I'll certainly be trying again. I think the extra rye and some über-flavorful beer ought to make this into a special, truly 5-star loaf.

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Reviewer:

Zach Maier

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Snellville, Georgia, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 18, 2011

This is a great recipe! I used Sierra Nevada Stout for the beer. The bread is easy to put together, and came out perfect. I took it to a St. Patrick's Day party and everybody raved about it. There were no leftovers. I've never been a rye bread fan before, but loved this. Great flavor & texture. The only thing I would do differently is to bake the bread on parchment dusted with cornmeal - I did not like what baked on oil did to my cookie sheet. PS - I tried the recipe again and baked it on parchment dusted with cornmeal; it came out perfect. I highly recommend that way of baking it. I will be making this frequently.

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Reviewer:

Susan Stone

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Cranford, New Jersey, USA

Living In: El Paso, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 9, 2011

all I can say is WOW! incredible

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Reviewer:

usjewel

Reviewed: Mar. 2, 2011

Yum! I've only had one slice so far (saving it for dinner), but it was wonderful! It was definitely a stiff dough though, so be aware of that when kneading. It rose just like it was supposed to in the time indicated in the recipe. I will definitely be making this again!

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Reviewer:

Sonnata

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

Living In: Evington, Virginia, USA

Reviewed: Feb. 19, 2011

I was surprised to find that this is nearly identical to a recipe I THOUGHT I had invented. Alas... To make a darker and slightly more flavorful bread, use dark/stout beer, molasses, and two TBS of instant coffee. Also suggest using two tablespoons of vinegar as yeast nutrient and dough conditioner. Boil the beer and cool before adding other ingredients. Boiling the beer sours it a bit for a stronger rye bread flavor. Three heaping TBS of sour cream will add a lot to the texture, taste, and shelf-life of the bread.

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Reviewer:

BreadBaker

Cooking Level: Professional

Reviewed: Feb. 1, 2011

Outstanding w/ great flavor. I used a Black and Tan beer but stuck to the recipe except for rise time. 90 to 100 minutes in my oven w/ the door cracked with a hotpad. Then after forming the loaves it took 75 minutes to stop rising under the same conditions.

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