Well, it may seem like the holiday season is not necessarily appropriate for beer and brats. But, if you assumed that, you would be wrong. In my humble opinion, it’s always the season for a good celebratory brat, and some beer, right? I do have a little German heritage in me…mostly I’m Irish, but in any case, let’s bake up some Rustic Beer Bread and braise some Brats and cabbage, sit by the fire, and enjoy!
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup warm water
12 oz. dark, stout beer
1 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
all purpose flour, for dusting
2-4 large bratwurst
4 oz. dark, stout beer
4 Tbs. butter
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 Tbs. stoneground mustard
Swiss cheese, thinly slices
fresh ground pepper
Stir together yeast, 1/2 cup flour and warm water in a large bowl. Cover and let sit in a warm spot for about 30 minutes.
Stir beer, remaining flour and salt into the bowl. Mix until all the flour is incorporated and forms a thick sticky dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Scrape all the dough from the bowl with a rubber spatula, and place on a well-floured surface. Generously flour the top of the dough and form into a loaf shape. (Or, in this case, two small loaves and one large roll – I had mixed use intentions).
Transfer loaf to the parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle the top with flour. Cover loosely with a towel and let rise for 30-40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Place a small loaf pan of warm water on a lower rack to humidify the oven.
Slash a long slit in the top of the loaf with a sharp knife or razor. Place the baking sheet on the rack above the pan of warm water in the oven. Bake for 35 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown.
Transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before slicing.
Meanwhile, while the bread is baking, boil the 2-4 brats in the 4 oz. dark beer until the beer has mostly evaporated. Add the butter and fry each brat thoroughly on each side, adding the shredded cabbage, as well. Once all elements are soft and slight crispy, stir in the mustard and fresh ground pepper.
Slice the bread and serve open faced with sliced brats and mustard coated slaw. Feel free to melt a touch of Swiss cheese on each slice of bread as well, just for some extra tang. You’ll love it, I promise!
