Beer Bread with Honey Butter

12 fl oz Dark Beer (Shiner Bock or Negra Modelo do well)

16 oz Whole Wheat Flour (Graham Flour if you can find it)

2 1/2 tsp. Dry Active Yeast 

            (a small package of yeast is 2 1/4 tsp which is ok if that's all you have)

1/4 C. Warm Water ( not hot )

1 tsp. Salt

1/4 C. Honey

1/4 C. Vegetable Oil

9 oz Bread Flour

Gently mix beer and wheat flour. Cover and let sit 30 min for beer to go flat and for wheat to soften. Mix yeast and warm water together in a small container and wait till it produces some bubbles. Mix honey, salt, oil, water/yeast mix, and beer/wheat all together in a bread mixer with dough hook until smooth. Add bread flour and continue mixing on speed 2. When a dough ball forms, mix 10 more minutes.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic until it doubles in size. About 60 min. Punch down and shape into 2 loaves. Place into 2 greased bread pans measuring 8 ½ x 4 ½ in or slightly larger. Lightly spray tops with cooking spray and place a wet paper towel over each. After another rise of about 45 min, preheat the oven to 350F. Remove paper towels from loaves. Sprinkle water on the paper towels first to prevent sticking to dough. Score each loaf with a long single slice down the middle at least ¼ inch deep. Spraying your knife with cooking spray will help keep dough from sticking to it.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until internal temp of bread reaches 185F. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a rack at least 2 hours. Bread may be served hot as long as the whole loaf is eaten. Steam escaping from hot bread will result in it drying out later.

Honey Butter

1 stick unsalted butter (softened to room temp)

1/4 cup honey

1 Tbsp milk

Mix everything in a food processor or immersion blender. Form mixed butter into a tube shape by rolling in plastic wrap. Twist ends tightly and secure with twisty ties. Chill in refrigerator for later use.