Chef's Table

Beer Boxty Bread

Beer Boxty Bread is an Irish styled bread, similar to a Soda Bread, using mashed potatoes as starch, mixed with flours and seasoned with either caraway seeds or freshly minced rosemary.

CourseBread
CuisineBeer Cuisine, Irish
Cooking Beer StyleAmerican Cream Ale, European Pale Lager, Irish Red Ale
SeasonalFall Seasonal, Spring Seasonal, St Patrick’s Day, Summer Seasonal, Winter Seasonal, Year Around Seasonal
Food SectionBread, Potato
Cooking MethodBaking with Beer

Servings	Prep Time
4loaves	25minute

Cook Time

40minute

Servings	Prep Time
4loaves	25minute

Cook Time

40minute

Ingredients

Beer Boxty Bread Dry Ingredients:

2pound potatoessuch as Yukon Gold or Russets, peeled
1tablespoon salt, kosher
water, coldto cover
2tablespoon butter, unsaltedpreferably European style or Kerry Gold Irish Butter
8ounce beer,such as an Irish Red Ale, Cream Ale or Lager
2teaaspoon salt, kosher
1 1/2teaspoon caraway, seed,
or
1 1/2teaspoon rosemary, freshwashed and removed from the woody stem, minced
1/2teaspoon peppercorns, blackfreshly cracked

Beer Boxty Bread Wet Ingredients:

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375˚F | 191°C.
Peel all the potatoes, dividing 4 for boiling and 2 for grating. Cut the four potatoes into 6ths and add to a pot of cold water, with an inch of water over the top and season the water with the salt. Place over high heat and cook the potatoes for 18 – 20 minutes, until they are fork-tender. Drain the potatoes well, then add them back to the hot pot to help evaporate any remaining moisture. Let sit for 5 minutes, then mash them with a potato ricer or fork, adding in the butter, stirring to melt and make a mashed potato-like consistency.
Grate the remaining two potatoes on a coarse side of a box grater. Add them to a large bowl, mixing in the beer, salt, caraway, or rosemary (or omitting the seasoning if desired) and pepper. Stir to combine, then fold in the mashed potatoes.
Sift the two flours into the potato mixture, and fold the ingredients together to make a dough. Lightly knead the dough until the texture is smooth, not sticky, adding more flour if needed. Divide the dough into 4 equal size portions, then form each into a round loaf shape. Place each loaf onto a Silpat Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat or parchment paper-lined sheet tray. Using a knife, cut the top of each loaf into a cross shape pattern, going into the bread about an inch deep. Place the tray into the center of the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and the internal temperature of the bread reaches 205°F | 96°C.
Serve the warm bread with a European style butter, lightly sprinkled with a pinch of special salt, with some different Irish cheeses and fresh pickles.