Blue Moon Bread Recipe

Ingredients

For the Poolish (The Night Before)

• 1 cup bread flour
• 1/2 cup Blue Moon witbier, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

For the Main Dough

• All of the poolish from above
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 cup Blue Moon witbier, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Make the Poolish

The night before you want to bake, mix the poolish ingredients—bread flour, 1/2 cup of beer, and 1/4 teaspoon of yeast—in a medium bowl.

Stir until it forms a thick, sticky paste. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours. It should be very bubbly and have a pleasant, beer-like smell.

Mix and Knead the Dough

The next day, add all of the poolish to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.

Add the 3 cups of bread flour, 1 cup of beer, the remaining 2 teaspoons of yeast, and the salt.

Mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Add the softened butter.

Increase the speed to medium and knead for 8-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Let the Dough Rise

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Shape and Proof the Loaf

Gently punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape it into a round or oval loaf.

Place the shaped loaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover it loosely and let it rise again for another 45-60 minutes.

Bake the Bread

About 30 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 425F. Place a metal pan on the bottom rack of the oven to heat up.

When you’re ready to bake, slash the top of the loaf with a sharp knife.

Carefully place the baking sheet in the oven. Pour 1 cup of hot water into the hot metal pan on the bottom rack to create steam.

Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375F. Continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the internal temperature reads 200F.

Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Blue Moon Bread

Most beer bread recipes are just quick breads. This is a proper yeast bread that uses beer twice: once in an overnight starter, called a poolish, and again in the main dough. The yeast feeds on the sugars in the beer, creating a deep, complex flavor you can't get any other way.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Active Time40 minutes mins

Rise + Rest Time12 hours hrs

Total Time13 hours hrs

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Ingredients

For the Poolish the Night Before

• 1 cup bread flour
• 1/2 cup Blue Moon witbier at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

For the Main Dough

• All of the poolish from above
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 cup Blue Moon witbier at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened

Instructions

• The night before, mix 1 cup bread flour, 1/2 cup room temperature beer, and 1/4 teaspoon yeast to make a sticky paste for the poolish.
• Cover the poolish with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 8-12 hours until bubbly.
• Add the poolish to a stand mixer bowl with the remaining flour, beer, yeast, and salt.
• Mix on low with a dough hook until shaggy, then add the softened butter.
• Knead on medium speed for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise 1-1.5 hours until doubled.
• Shape the dough into a round or oval loaf and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Let the shaped loaf rise another 45-60 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425F with a metal pan on the bottom rack.
• Slash the top of the loaf with a sharp knife.
• Place the bread in the oven and pour 1 cup hot water into the bottom pan for steam.
• Bake 20 minutes, reduce temperature to 375F, then bake another 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
• Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Notes

Internal temperature should reach 200F when done.