German Beer Bread – Original Bavarian Recipe

Bavarian king Maximilian I. demonstrated that he is a generous man when his son Ludwig was going to marry Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. For this wedding he sponsored a gigantic celebration for 40.000 visitors; it was in fact the first Oktoberfest and happened on October 17, 1810. The sensation of the fest was the horse race on a meadow in front of the city, and from that date on it was called the “Theresienwiese” (Wiese = Meadow), and from that day on, it had been decided that such a fest should be occurring every year.

It was the starting day of the famous Oktoberfest and it is happening yearly on the “Wies’n”, the former Theresienwiese. 2 years later, in 1812, a special beer was created: The Oktoberfest Beer. It is of a dark yellow color, and is more spiced, and contains more alcohol than the regular beer. Since then the Oktoberfest beer from Hofbrau has been the world most famous beer worldwide.

Germany is known for being the country with the best beer. It is because of the water they use, the hops and of course of their traditional recipes that are kept secret for hundreds of years. The beer does not contain any chemicals, nor unnatural ingredients. It is brewed per the rules that are quite strict in Germany (per the so called “Reinheitsgesetz” – the law of purity ).

Beer can be used in many German recipes. There’s a recipe where you would use beer for making bread, and it is the main ingredient. Have a look. Happy Cooking! And Prosit!

Ingredients German Beer Bread

500 g all purpose wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 sachet baking powder (Dr Oetker) –
0.5 Liter beer Bier (Lager, Pilsner)
(Optional: 100 g roasted onions
Herbs such as thyme, marjoram, walnuts, roasted sunflower seeds)

Baking Instructions German Beer Bread

– Pre-heat oven to 200°C or 390 F.
– Grease a box type baking form of size: 4 x 9 inches (10x20cm) generously with butter or layer with parchment paper.
– In a big bowl mix all dry ingredients very well, add the beer and the roasted onion or the herbs if you use these options. Mix well.
– Pour dough into the form and bake for 35-40 minutes, until it has a light brown crust.
– When done let cool off for 10 min on a cooling grid.
– Release the bread.

– Optional: Place the bread on a baking tray, and because the bread is hot, any butter will melt right away, so spread the butter generously over the top and sides. This creates a very nice crust.
– Place back in oven and broil for 2 min. Watch the bread so it won’t get burned or dark.

Available from Sept 15 – Oct 30

Tips

Depending on the beer you will be using, the bread color can be light or dark. Dark beer can be used as well as Lager or a light version.
You can skip the sugar if you like or use a bit of honey that will be dissolved in the beer.
The taste also depends on the kind of beer you are using. A light beer is recommended that is not too strong in taste.
NOT recommended: Guinness, Hefe Weizen, Bock beer or ale.

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