My DH has gotten into the hobby of brewing his own beer, and one of the nice side benefits is the spent grain from the beer making. This is a grain blend that is specific to the beer, which is boiled in water for a few hours and then would be tossed by most. However, if you take a bit of this spent grain and make bread with it, it is the best tasting artisanal bread you can find!

I only use 1/2 cup of the spent grain per loaf, otherwise it gets too doughy and it doesn't rise or cook properly. So far we have experimented with adding in some raw garlic, cheddar cheese, and rosemary. All have turned out extremely well. I have also made spent grain rolls. I would say the final product is every bit as good as the fancy breads for which you will pay $5-6 per loaf in the grocery store!

So if you happen to have a friend or family member who likes to brew their own beer, hit them up for some of the spent grain and you will be quite happy with the forthcoming bread products. I should also mention that you can freeze the spent grain for up to six months.

Happy baking!

StB.