Guinness Loaf for St Patricks Day- The Bread Challenge Part 1

Ok, so when I set myself the bread challenge several days ago it certainly wasn't my intention to take this long to start it but at least I have got off the ball now with my first loaf especially for St Patricks Day!
 Not much to say about this loaf. Now I have the kneading technique sussed, and allow plenty of time for the dough to rise to the maximum, I found it quite easy. Using the brown flour did give the dough a less elasticated feel though and quite rubbery to the touch when kneading but the end result came out great and you can certainly taste the Guinness in each slice of bread.
 Ingredients:
 250g/9oz Strong White Flour
 250g/9oz Malted Brown Flour
 1 Sachet Easy-Blend Dried Yeast
 1 1/2 Tsp Salt
 300ml/10floz Guinness
 Veg Oil for Brushing

 Method:
1. Sift both flours into a bowl and stir in the yeast and salt. Make a well in the centre.
2. Heat the Guinness very slightly in a microwave til lukewarm. Pour into the well and mix to a soft dough.
3. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth then return to bowl, cover with a wet tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour.
4. Turn out and knead lightly for a couple of minutes. shape into an oval and place in a 2lb oiled loaf tin. Cover and leave to rise until doubled in size.
5. Cook in a pre heated oven for 20-30 minutes at 200C/400F/Gas6 then transfer to a wire rack

Guinness Loaf

Happy St Patricks Day.
Let me leave you with my St Patricks Day photo of the church opposite the pub this morning. Snow in March!!!

St. Martins Church, Litchborough

The Bread Challenge

I watched a great dvd the other day, Julie and Julia, which was based on two true stories.
The story involves culinary legend Julia Child, whose cookbook, Mastering The Art of French Cooking, inspired writer Julie Powell to cook her way through the book and achieve 524 recipes in 365 days.
Quite a challenge you will agree and one I would love to attempt myself but know I am better challenged on a smaller scale. So what challenge could I set myself?
As you will know from previous posts I have spent the past month perfecting the art of a crusty white loaf so what better challenge than a bread challenge?
So my aim from today is to achieve 15 or more bread recipes in the next month. I'll set my finishing date as 11th April.
Why not join me and share your experiences in the comments section below each post.