Found bags of this at our local hardware store(?) and were like “We have to try this!”
Despite the name, you mix the mix with beer. Yes, they have a pairing chart. For non-alcoholic options, you can use other sparkling beverages, for the cranberry/orange loaf I used a sparkling pear.
Website:
Came out super tasty. More dense than “bread” bread, almost a cornbread or banana bread texture. Which makes sense since there was no rising time.
Seems interesting, but there’s honestly nothing stopping you from making such a quick bread from scratch, just substituting beer for the water.
I remember a while back they were selling similar mixes with “Larry the Cable Guy” branding on them. They looked super sketchy, in terms of quality…
So…let me preface this by saying I’m not dumping on your post. That being said…
There is no quick replacement for a good sourdough starter. The brands you may be familiar with that have that extra sour taste are working from mothers that are a hundred years old or more, and it’s really easy to tell the difference between TRUE sourdough, and a new mother starter.
The beer thing is a bit of a hack, but it’s still not going to taste great because all you’re getting in the finished flavor is baked yeast. If people want that, they can just add more yeast to their bread mixes, but everyone already knows that doesn’t work.
This sort of technique has been used for a long time in things like Irish Soda Bread, Mead Bread, and Nordic breads. The problem with it is that that initial introduction of alcohol (if using) will kill the active yeast that is responsible for a good rising and crumb. You’ll just end up with a dense bread that burns (you can see it in your picture).
A better shortcut to this sort of flavor without the flatness in the finished product is infusing the bottom of the barrel malt/yeast sludge into a fat like olive or vegetable oil, then adding that to your dough. It won’t kill the active yeast, and you’ll still get the sour notes.
It’s no substitute for an aged started mother, but it’s probably better than just dumping beer into dough.
👍
This isn’t really a sourdough replacement. I think the name is just trying to be a clever play on words. As you’ll be sober, since you’re pouring your beer into the bread.
Also this is a quick bread leavened with baking soda, rather than a yeasted loaf. It uses the beer for extra flavor, but it honestly looks like a gimmick, given the substitution choices include sparkling water.
I don’t see, this particular mix, as being a replacement for a sourdough, but I get where you’re coming from since they called the brand “Soberdough”. I was drawn to it because I like cranberry and orange. ;)
Once mixed, you definitely have a batter, like when I make banana bread, and not a dough.
Looking at their other products, it’s mostly, I don’t know how to categorize it, “seasoned breads”? “breakfast breads”?
https://www.soberdough.com/collections/all
Lemon Poppy Seed:
(I want this one next, Apple Fritter Bread):
Yeah its perfectly fine and tasty! Especially if you know what a soda bread is an are expecting that. The lemon poppy seed one looks amazing, I might try to make one from scratch since I have all the ingredients in the pantry anyway (except for ascorbic acid)
The best thing you can do for these types of recipes is to stop mixing immediately after the dry bits are incorporated, and bake the batter immediately after mixing since the baking powder and baking soda make bubbles immediately when you mix in your fizzy acidic beverage of choice. Same reason why you don’t wanna over mix pancake batter, better to leave it lumpy and slightly undermixed.
Edit: Compare the top of your baked bread to the top in their marketing materials: did you add too much liquid (the recipe says 10oz not the full 12oz beer) or overmix?
Yup, 10 oz. exactly, I used a scale. :)
This is the cranberry orange, hard to see their crust, but it all seems comparable.
Oh beer bread! I did that for a fun test back in 2020. Don’t necessarily have to use packet mix, you can DIY a fair bit for sure.
