Success with Beer Barm Bread!

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I think I’ve got a good beer barm bread now, although I’ll continue to experiment.

Here’s the latest incarnation:

BEER BARM BREAD ÁLA ANITA

I started with beer barm from our brewing class. The resulting bread has a beer-y flavor, with the hops coming through. It pairs well with sharp cheddar and hot chili was also suggested as an accompaniment.

2 c. barm* warmed slowly to 168-170⁰ F. Turn off fire and whisk in ½ c. flour. Let cool to warm (about 70⁰ F.)
Let sit overnight. It should be bubbly in the morning.

Next day add:

1 c. warm water and stir well

Then add:
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. dry yeast**
2 c. (about ) flour

Mix well. It’ll probably be a bit soft, but mix it and then cover and let sit for a short while (10-30 min.).

Then knead again lightly for about 1 min., adding flour as necessary to keep it from sticking.

Let sit about an hour, covered.

Then knead again lightly for about 5 min., or until it feels well mixed and smooth. It will be a soft dough.

Lightly grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal.

Make bread into an oblong loaf and place aside to rise for about 2 hours or so – till double in bulk.

Set oven to 475-500⁰F., and get it really hot. I insert a baking stone to help hold the heat.

Sprinkle the top of the loaf with water, then place in the oven.

After about 10 minutes, lower heat to 450⁰F., and let bake for another 40-45 minutes, or until loaf browned and sounds hollow when tapped.

* If you don’t have access to barm, you can use a commercial beer with live yeast.

** You can also substitute sourdough starter, but then the bread will need another round of kneading and rising, and rising may be slower.

Experimental Bread Journey

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I took a beer brewing workshop last weekend. It’s in two parts – one last weekend wherein we brewed the beer, and the next will be in a month when we bottle our brew. It was a fascinating process, and I was constantly asking myself, “how would it have been done 100 or 200 years ago?” (Ever the social historian!)

We made two batches and set them aside in a quiet area of the shop. The main gist of my post, though, follows.

The workshop facilitators had already started one batch of beer in order to show us how to siphon from one carboy to another for secondary fermentation. And there, in the bottom of the first carboy, was … BARM!

I asked and so rescued it from being tossed and proudly took it home in a jar. I immediately took two cups of the barm, placed it in a glass bowl, and added a teaspoon of sugar and a cup or so of flour (however much was required for a sponge). I stirred vigorously, then covered it with a clean towel and set it in the (unlit, unpilot-lighted) oven out of drafts. That was Saturday night. Sunday morning I checked on it, and it was still like tired sourdough. I stirred it and added another little bit of water and flour, covered it and set it aside. On Monday morning I checked it, added flour and water and stirred it, then covered and set aside. It’s getting more active. Tuesday I added another teaspoon of sugar along with a bit of flour and water, stirred it and set aside. This morning (Wednesday) it was bubbly. So I added a bit of water and flour and stirred it and set aside. It’s beginning to smell less like beer and more like bread!

The following day, it was bubbly and so I added flour to make it into a dough. I let it rise, but it was dense. Baked it on a stone at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes. I call it my “Monastic Bread,” because it was very dense and tasted strongly of beer, with a hops aftertaste. I’ll make another try with a different method next time.

Dye Day October 2009

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June and I had an incredible time playing with color. We used goldenrod that June had picked that morning, along with cochineal and indigo. We dyed both yarn and silk scarves, with space dyeing as well as immersion dyeing. I even tried my resale shop silk blouse! It turned out a mottled light and medium blue, with the cut edges of ruching taking on a deeper blue. Quite lovely.

We both smelled of smoke, though, as the fire needed constant attention. All in all, a great day!

Goat Milk Soap is Ready

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It’s always exciting when I declare a batch of soap ready. I have to take a bar and try it myself – and this latest is luscious. My skin just relaxes when I use the goat milk soap. I plan to get another batch going this weekend, so I won’t run out again! It’s the most popular so far among those who buy my soaps.

On another note, I decided that “Domestic Arts Emporium” just doesn’t adequately describe my soaps. So….after brainstorming with a couple of friends, we decided a better portrayal would be “Texas Naturals” and then subhead, “Pure Soap”. I think that says it all. So I got the web addy “texasnaturals.net” and filed an assumed name with the State of Texas. That will lock things in. Now to do another website. 🙂 Oh, my, technology challenges raise their heads again. As soon as I get the website functioning, I’ll add a link here.

But the thinking behind the name and “Pure Soap” is that folks buy my soaps because they are gentle on the skin. There are no scents, no added essential oils (some of which I’ve found to be quite irritating to my skin), just pure soap. When I did a little market research in the soap aisle at Whole Foods recently, about 90-95% of the handmade soaps were scented or had some added something, like cinnamon, or citrus, or whatever. I can’t use those, and figure others can’t either.

I’m going to stick with pure soap. It’s not fancy, but it sure feels good on the skin. Guess I’m just too pragmatic! 🙂

I actually got to weave some last weekend. It felt so good to sit at the loom, and concentrate on the next throw of the shuttle. Truly relaxing and meditative. I have so many ideas, though, of things I’d like to try weaving….my old problem comes up – too many ideas and too little time!

Speaking of time….it’s getting away from me now, and so I really, really need to get going.

Progress

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Finished mixing the avocado oil soap this evening. It looks luscious – so creamy. The avocado oil doesn’t fully saponify, so it starts out by being superfatted, and then I added a bit more just before pouring it into the mold. Can’t wait to try it out!

Lots of interest in my “Healthy Natural Soap for Sensitive Skin” at the Art Festival Friday evening and Saturday. A friend who’s a nurse coined the “healthy soap” moniker. I sort of like it.

Too late to write of much more.

Beginnings

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Well, I finally moved into the 21st Century (well, almost) with the beginning of this Blog. Guess FaceBook is next, since I’ve gotten some invites from others I know. So….here goes!

2009 goals include finishing my Masters – in History – and ramping up my home-based business. The idea is that I have about 2-3 years to get the business going before I “retire” (read: change careers) and make my getaway to a rural environment. Does that mean property or the edge of a small town? Don’t know. I’d like to be part of an intentional community but own my property fee-simple. All in good time.

In keeping with the HBB (home-based business), I just finished labeling and preparing my latest batch of Soaps for Sensitive Skin. In particular, the Healing Honey/Oatmeal soap. In a couple of weeks, I’ll get the Creamy Rich Goat Milk soap labeled and prepared for sale. I’m waiting on an order of oils to arrive so that I can make the Vegan Avocado Soap. So far, the testimonials I’m getting are encouraging.

AND….I actually managed to get a website up (www.domesticarts.org) and functioning. Need to move the e-commerce to web-based rather than e-mail based. That’s for the next couple of weeks. Going slowly on this technology thing.

I guess this is enough for my first post.