Recipe Revisit: Stout Chocolate Cherry Bread

This is an old recipe, one that I’ve posted before. We love it in our house, but I never made it very often. I finally realized that I tended to avoid it because it was a bit of trouble to make, requiring a refrigerated overnight starter that then had to be brought back to room temperature before being used to make a very stiff dough that was hard to work the chocolate and dried cherries into. This recipe had to be made simpler and more effective if I was going to make it more than once or twice a year.

 

I really didn’t notice any negative difference in flavor or quality of this bread dough when I cut the starter time to 2 hours and left it at room temperature. I still think that if you do want the convenience of popping the starter in the refrigerator for 12 hours to work its magic while you pretty much completely ignore it, that would work just fine.

I also cut down the amount of flour in the recipe, a move that seemed pretty obvious once I thought of it. I used to just put into my dough whatever volume or weight of flour was called for in a recipe. After some years of experience in bread baking, I have learned that a bread dough needs as much flour (or water) as it needs, and it’s better to learn what a good dough is supposed to look and feel like: smooth and stretchy and slightly sticky in some cases.

Both of the simple changes I made to this delicious bread help make it a better bread that’s easier to produce. It’s slightly bitter in flavor from all that super-dark beer and super-dark chocolate. The dried cherries give it some sweet-tart bursts in every slice. This is a great bread for breakfast or an afternoon snack with coffee or tea.

Back in March I was going to post this recipe as Reason #2 to not drink all the Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day (with this beef stew being Reason #1). Now, I can firmly recommend it as a good reason to go out and acquire some more!

Stout Bread with Chocolate and Cherries

Based on a recipe in Cooking Light magazine

3-3 ½ cups bread flour, divided

12 ounces Guinness stout (or your favorite stout)

2 ¼ teaspoons yeast (1 envelope)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup dried cherries

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1. In a large bowl or plastic container, combine 2 cups bread flour, Guinness, yeast and sugar. Mix until very smooth. Cover with a towel and let stand 2 hours. (You could also cover and refrigerate overnight. Allow to come to room temperature before continuing the recipe.)

2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixture. Sprinkle the salt over the batter. Using the dough hook, knead in as much of the remaining flour as you can while keeping the dough soft, stretchy, and still a little tacky. Knead for a total of about 10 minutes. Knead in the cherries and chocolate.

3. Shape the dough into a smooth ball. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Set the dough ball in the bowl. Spray the dough with cooking spray. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the dough. Cover with a towel and let rise until double in size, about 1 hour.

4. Gently deflate the dough. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Shape each portion into a slightly flattened ball and place both on the prepared baking sheet, leaving room between them to rise. Let rise until double in size, about 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 350 F. With a sharp knife, cut an “X” into the top of each loaf. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 2 loaves. You can freeze one or both loaves well-wrapped if desired.

Other recipes like this one: Chocolate Orange Bread, Cinnamon Graham Bread with Cranberries and Pecans

One year ago: Banana Quick Bread

Archive Recipe of the Week: Beef and Guinness Stew or Pot Pie

St. Patrick’s Day is just a week away and I have nothing to report that is either green or Guinness-y. That just leaves me the perfect opportunity to give some love to this Beef and Guinness Stew that I tend to serve every year.

In the past, I’ve presented this as a pot pie because I served it in individual stew bowls with a puff pastry lid. You wouldn’t have to do that. Well, you wouldn’t have to, but I highly recommend it. In fact, you could do that with just about any thick stew. Just give it a pastry covering of some kind and you have pot pie.

This is just such a good stew/pot pie, however, that I don’t want you to miss out on it’s fabulous beefy and peppery flavors just because you don’t have pastry skills or some kind of frozen or refrigerated pastry on hand. It’s usually pretty easy for me to pass up a beef dish, but when that beef is flavorfully slow-cooked, I’m in trouble. It’s also easy for me to pass up a bottle of beer, but when you give the dark, rich flavor of Guinness to a slow cooked beef stew, we’re talking about something different entirely. Something so good it’s worthy of a celebration.

Don’t let the brined green peppercorns in the ingredient list scare you. They’re just black peppercorns in a younger stage bottled in brine. They’re delicious and if you haven’t tried them, I’d recommend getting your hands on a bottle to use in this stew. In fact, I can’t think of any other recipe I use them in and I still find them to be worth the purchase. You can find them near the capers (and pickles, etc.) in supermarkets.

And – trust me – it’s worth saving out one bottle of Guinness just to make this stew. Celebrate responsibly!

Beef and Guinness Stew or Pot Pie
Modified from Gourmet magazine

Making this stew into a pot pie is optional, but really good.

2 lb boneless beef chuck
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 Tbs canola or vegetable oil, divided
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ Tbs tomato paste
1 ½ cups beef broth
1 (11.2 ounce) bottle Guinness or other Irish stout
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp drained brined green peppercorns, coarsely chopped
2 fresh thyme sprigs or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound peeled potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ (17.3 ounce) package puff pastry (1 sheet) (or more if needed), thawed

1. Pat the beef dry with paper towels if it is damp on the surface. Cut the beef into 1-2 inch cubes. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the cubed beef and toss to coat with the flour mixture.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the beef in one layer and cook, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the browned beef from the pot and place in a clean bowl or on a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining beef, adding more of the oil as needed.

3. When all the beef has been browned, add the onion to the pan. Cook over medium heat 3 minutes. Add garlic and ½ cup beef broth. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the beef and any juices that may have accumulated in the bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup broth, Guinness, Worcestershire sauce, brined green peppercorns and thyme.

5. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Add the potatoes. Simmer about 1 hour more or until the beef is very tender. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes to thicken the stew if desired. Remove the stems from the thyme sprigs if you used fresh thyme. The stew can be made ahead of time or served without a pastry covering at this point.

6. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Spoon stew into 4 oven-proof single-serving crocks or soup bowls. Cut the puff pastry sheet into 4 squares. (You can cut it smaller or larger, or use more than one sheet, depending on the size of the bowls you are using.) Place 1 sheet of puff pastry on top of each filled bowl. Gently press to adhere to the sides of the bowl. Cut 2 to 3 slits in the top of the pastry to allow steam to escape as it bakes.

7. Place the pot pies on a baking sheet for easy transfer to the oven. Bake at 450 F 10-15 minutes or until the puff pastry is well browned. Remove from the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes. The stew under the pastry will be very hot.

Makes about 4 servings

Other recipes like this one: Beef Stew with Red Wine and Mushrooms, Beef stew with Tomatillos and Poblano Chiles, Beer Cheese Soup with Bratwurst

One year ago: Orange Butter Cookies

Kiss Me I'm (Really Not Very) Irish

Chances are that if you’re not Irish, you pretend to be for St. Patrick’s Day. You’ll wear a little green, stick some shamrock and leprechaun decorations in your window and maybe knock back a few Guinness Extra Stouts or green-dyed lagers. And you’ll even think about what to have for dinner. Corned beef and cabbage get the promotional spaces at the supermarket, but you might (especially if you really are Irish) have a colcannon, soda bread, or Irish stew recipe that has been passed down to you through the generations.

My few drops of Irish blood didn’t come with a recipe box, and I can’t remember if I’ve ever even eaten corned beef that wasn’t in deli-sliced form. (I do have vague memories of searching for corned beef in South Texas supermarkets, so maybe I did cook it one year.) Luckily, I also don’t have any ethnic food police after me (that I know of) so I can take a bit of a side-step and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a Beef and Guinness Pot Pie. This is one of Harry’s absolute favorite dishes, and I’ve been trying to follow Aunt Helen’s advice and make it more often, but he always gets it at least once a year.


This is a rich and delicious beef stew with a fluffy and crispy puff pastry cover. It’s loaded with slowly cooked beef enhanced with dark, rich, slightly bitter (but not unpleasantly so) character from a bottle of Guinness. It also gets a peppery kick from brined green peppercorns. These are simply younger peppercorns that still have some of their fruit qualities, which have been bottled in brine rather than dried. They are milder in spice than the more familiar black peppercorns. They also contribute a touch of briny flavor and a little something vegetal that dried peppercorns don’t bring along. They sort of dissolve into the stew and take on the persona of a secret ingredient (I won’t tell if you don’t.) I love them, plain and simple.

You can find brined green peppercorns in larger supermarkets, usually shelved with things like pickles, olives and capers. In fact, they kind of look like capers and are packed in little jars of similar style, so they’re a bit difficult to spot on the shelf. I think it’s worth making the effort, however, since they give this dish a unique quality that isn’t too weird or palate-shocking.

I usually place the fully-cooked beef stew (which you could make ahead of time) in single-serving crocks, cover them with thawed store-bought puff pastry, and bake them until the pastry is puffed and browned. You could also bake the squares of puff pastry separately and float them onto bowls of the stew. (This is what I usually do with leftovers.) Or, you could forgo the puff pastry altogether and use a different pastry crust, or simply serve this as a stew with biscuits or bread.

Whether it’s with corned beef and cabbage, Beef and Guinness Pot Pie, or your usual Wednesday night fare with a dash of green food coloring I hope you celebrate St. Paddy well (and responsibly) even if your Irish roots are a little weak. I would suggest, however, that you’re careful who you kiss, Irish or not, especially after a few of those green beers.

Beef and Guinness Potpie
Modified from Gourmet magazine

This recipe can take 3 hours or more to prepare, so make sure to allow yourself enough time.

2 lb boneless beef chuck
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 Tbs canola or vegetable oil, divided
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ Tbs tomato paste
1 ½ cups beef broth
1 (11.2 ounce) bottle Guinness or other Irish stout
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp drained brined green peppercorns, coarsely chopped
2 fresh thyme sprigs or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound peeled potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ (17.3 ounce) package puff pastry (1 sheet) (or more if needed), thawed

1. Pat the beef dry with paper towels if it is damp on the surface. Cut the beef into 1-2 inch cubes. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the cubed beef and toss to coat with the flour mixture.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the beef in one layer and cook, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the browned beef from the pot and place in a clean bowl or on a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining beef, adding more of the oil as needed.

3. When all the beef has been browned, add the onion to the pan. Cook over medium heat 3 minutes. Add garlic and ½ cup beef broth. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the beef and any juices that may have accumulated in the bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup broth, Guinness, Worcestershire sauce, brined green peppercorns and thyme.

5. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Add the potatoes. Simmer about 1 hour more or until the beef is very tender. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes to thicken the stew if desired. Remove the stems from the thyme sprigs if you used fresh thyme. The stew can be made ahead of time up to this point.


6. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Spoon stew into 4 oven-proof single-serving crocks or soup bowls. Cut the puff pastry sheet into 4 squares. (You can cut it smaller or larger, or use more than one sheet, depending on the size of the bowls you are using.) Place 1 sheet of puff pastry on top of each filled bowl. Gently press to adhere to the sides of the bowl. Cut 2 to 3 slits in the top of the pastry to allow steam to escape as it bakes.

7. Place the pot pies on a baking sheet for easy transfer to the oven. Bake at 450 F 10-15 minutes or until the puff pastry is well browned. Remove from the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes. The stew under the pastry will be very hot.

Makes about 4 servings.

50th Post and Guinness Quick Bread

Wow! This is my 50th post to The Messy Apron! I’m not sure I really knew when I started this that I would have 50 different ideas about food, let alone that I would still be enthusiastically posting by this time. Perhaps these pages no longer have that new blog smell, but this is still fun, and I think 50 blog posts is worthy of a celebration.

You know what else is fun? Guinness! You know what else is worthy of a celebration? The 250th anniversary of Guinness, which just so happens to be this year, the same year that I wrote my 50th blog post! What are the odds? (Never tell me the odds.)



In the interest of full disclosure, I don’t really celebrate with alcohol, not even in the traditional (read sacred and holy) form of stouts or other blessed dark brews. I just don’t care for alcohol (I’ll have half a glass of wine with a meal), though I do recognize good quality when I taste it. (I think I drank most of a whole bottle of Guinness once, probably on St. Patrick’s Day. That was enough.) Now, I know one or two of you out there, including Harry, will be happy to be drinking a Guinness or three (responsibly, of course) in celebration of 250 years of the good stuff, but what’s a dry girl like me to do?

Well, if I don’t celebrate with traditional beverages, I do celebrate with traditional baked goods. It just so happens that Guinness bakes very well, especially in this cake at the Epicurious web site. I needed to put together something a bit faster, though (and, frankly, smaller), so I modified a beer quick bread recipe from The Clueless Baker by Evelyn Raab. I borrowed a little from the cake recipe I mentioned above to spice things up a bit and added toasted hazelnuts for a bit of crunch, and a little more British Isles flair. Perhaps it’s not purely Irish, but neither are most of the folks who enjoy Guinness.

This bread is a little more dense and a lot less sweet than more common quick breads like banana bread or zucchini bread. I like the rich, slight bitterness of the Guinness with the molasses and hint of warm spices. The toasted hazelnuts seem to flavor the whole loaf, and I like the added crunch they bring to the party. If you don’t care for them, just substitute a different nut, or leave them out. In fact this bread is so quick and easy that it begs for endless variations with different beers and mix-ins. Think lager with cheese or Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat with dried blueberries. I could go on, but I’ve got celebrating to do. Happy 50th post to me!



Toasting and Skinning Hazelnuts
This seems as good a place as any to give a quick review on how I toast and skin hazelnuts, a process that I believe is essential for great dishes that include hazelnuts. It is a bit of a tedious process, but the crunchy, toasty hazelnuts sans bitter, fibrous skins are their own reward.


1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 375 F until the nuts are just beginning to brown and some of the dark brown skins are beginning to pull away, about 8 minutes. (Watch the nuts carefully, as you want to avoid burning them.) Remove from oven and cool slightly.

3. While still warm, dump the nuts into a clean dish towel. Rub them vigorously with the towel to remove the skins. Some will relinquish their coats more easily than others. Remove the skinned nuts from the pile and continue rubbing the remaining nuts. Some nuts can be rubbed with your fingers to remove more stubborn skins. I find that it is pretty much impossible to get all the skin off of all the nuts. Some of them just insist on remaining attached to their skins.

Guinness Hazelnut Quick Bread Recipe
Modified from The Clueless Baker by Evelyn Raab. If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour on hand, you could replace it with additional all-purpose flour.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons molasses
1 (11.2- 12 ounce) bottle dark beer, such as Guinness (I used the Limited Edition 250th Anniversary brew)
1 cup toasted, skinned hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch (or an 8-inch) bread pan with oil, butter, or cooking spray (I use the spray). Mix together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg until well combined.

2. Add the molasses and beer and stir until well mixed. The batter will be fairly thick and somewhat spongy. Stir in the hazelnuts.

3. Pour the batter the prepared bread pan and bake at 375 F for 45 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean (ie, with no globs of unbaked batter). If you are using an 8-inch pan, the baking time may be slightly longer.

4. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan and cool on a rack. Slice and enjoy while still warm, or cool completely.

Makes one loaf.