Decided to make some baguettes to serve with beer, cheese, and homemade jams for company last night. I haven't made baguettes in a while, but these came out quite good, even though I probably could have slashed them a bit more aggressively before baking. These were made with a poolish preferment, mostly using the technique and percentages in Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, but with Bass Ale substituting for the water in the final dough. Reinhart’s poolish is made with 11.25 oz. of flour, 12 oz. room temperature water, and 1/4 tsp. of instant yeast, mixed into a batter, fermented 3-4 hours at room temperature until bubbly, then retarded in the refrigerator overnight. Makes quite a bit more than needed for this recipe, but it'll keep in the fridge for a few days, so bake more bread! I think mine will become focaccia today. Ingredients 7 oz. poolish 17 oz. bread flour 1 1/2 tsp. table salt 3/4 tsp. instant yeast 9-10 oz. lukewarm Bass Ale (about 95°F) Directions Remove the poolish from the fridge and let it warm up for about an hour. Combine all the dry ingredients, and all but about 1 oz. of the beer in a mixing bowl and bring together into a soft but not sticky dough (add a bit more flour or the remaining beer to adjust as needed.) Knead by hand 10 minutes, or by machine for about 6, until the dough passes the windowpane test and is between 77°F and 81°F. Form into a ball. Put in an oiled bowl (turning to coat the dough ball with oil), cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 2 hours at room temperature until doubled in volume. Knead lightly for 1 minute, then return to the bowl, recover, and let rise for another 2 hours until doubled. Turn out onto a floured surface and cut into 3 pieces, and shape into 15"-18" baguettes, being careful not to degas the dough more than absolutely necessary. Allow the baguettes to proof for 40-50 minutes until they're about 1 1/2 times their original size but still springy. Place your baking stone, if you have one, on the lower rack of your oven, and a heavy pan on the top rack, and preheat to 500°F. Slash the tops of the baguettes just before baking with the tip of a sharp knife or a lame. Using a peel dusted with semolina or cornmeal, carefully transfer the baguettes to the baking stone (or put them on a baking sheet on the lower rack), and pour 1 c. of hot water into the other pan to create some steam. Wait 30 seconds, then spray water onto the sides of the oven with a spray bottle and close the oven door. Repeat this two more times, then reduce the oven temperature to 450°F. Bake 18-22 minutes until the loaves are golden brown and have an internal temperature of at least 205°F, rotating them halfway through if they’re not baking evenly.

Basic Beer-Cheese Bread From: Aunt Kris This recipe is from the November 2008 issue of Cooking Light, which is a great issue. It’s filled with lots of great recipes for Thanksgiving. Ingredients: • 1 Tbsp. olive oil • 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper • 1 garlic clove, minced • 13.5 oz. all-purpose flour (about 3 cups) • 3 Tbsp. sugar • 2 tsp. baking powder • 1 tsp. salt • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese • 1 (12 ounce) bottle lager-style beer (I used Miller Lite) • Cooking spray • 2 Tbsp. melted butter, divided Preheat over to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion to pan; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirrings occasionally. Stir in pepper and garlic; cook 1 minute. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; make a well in the center of the bowl. Add onion mixture, cheese, and beer to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Don’t over stir. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of butter over the batter. Cook at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Drizzle other tablespoon of butter over batter. Bake another 25 minutes or until the bread is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out20clean. Cool five minutes in pan on a wire rack, then remove the bread from the pan. Cool completely before slicing.