Quick Bread with Deep Flavor

With whole wheat flour and barley this is far from the usual soda breads although it can be whipped up in minutes...

Until I visited Ireland for the first time two years ago, I had no respect or any interest in trying to bake and experiment with soda breads. Many years ago I made a basic soda loaf and I didn’t find it brilliant, so I forgot about it.

Then in the wonderful English Market in Cork I was amazed at the very tempting, diverse, cake-like breads I saw on display.

I bought two or three different kinds and even brought one back to Kéa for Costas who loved it. Still, I had not tried to bake a soda bread as I was comfortable with my usual yeasted loaves which I constantly change, adding or substituting flours, spices and liquids. I hardly make the exact same bread twice and that is the reason I haven’t shared a recipe yet.

When I read Lukas Volger Stout Bread with Barley Flour, his description made me want to try his recipe. He explained that it was not a traditional bread but his own version, and something about the barley and the whole-wheat flour, along with the molasses, the yogurt, and the dark beer were very tempting. The combination of grains and the molasses are part what make my paximadia (savory biscotti) so wonderful, and I felt I had to make this easy bread.

The Greek ingredients I used for this stout-soda quick bread.

I got the very last Greek dark beer from the supermarket. Dark beers are not very popular in Greece, so usually they are available only in the summer on Kéa.

I had wonderful organic, biodynamic whole-grain barley and heirloom wheat flours from Trinity Farm, delicious grape molasses, and of course plenty of goat’s milk yogurt, which I eat every morning. Using these, somewhat different from Volger’s original ingredients, and substituting olive oil for the butter as I always do in my baking, I whipped up the bread.

As soon as I took the beautifully puffed loaf out of the oven I wanted to slice and try it, but I knew I had to wait for it to cool. Then I devoured a slice and loved it!

I didn’t spread it with butter, as I never do, but found that a spoonful of my bitter orange marmalade was the ideal complement. Next time I make it, I will probably add some kind of aromatic –maybe orange or lemon zest, or cinnamon-- and I will have to substitute lager beer for the stout until May or June. But I am certainly making it many times, as both Costas and I like it very much!

Dark Beer Bread with Barley and Whole Wheat

Adapted from Lukas Volger’s Stout Bread with Barley Flour

Yield 1 loaf

3 tablespoons olive oil
280g (2 cups) whole-wheat flour
130g (1 cup) barley flour
55g (¼ cup, packed) brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

80g (⅓ cup) plain, natural yogurt (I used goat’s milk)
42g (2 tablespoons) grape molasses
One 11- or 12-ounce bottle stout beer (330g), at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 220 C (425°F). Line a metal loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flours, sugar, soda, and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, molasses, and olive oil, until smooth. Pour the beer over the dry ingredients, followed by the yogurt mixture, then use a spoon or spatula to gently combine the dough just until all the flours are well moistened. Avoid overmixing.

Scrape the mixture into the lined loaf pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to about 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes.

Test for doneness using a toothpick or knife, as you do with cakes. It should feel firm in the center as it does at the edges of the pan.

Leave in the pan for 5 minutes before tipping onto a rack, and cool completely before slicing. Leftovers toast beautifully.