We selected EZ-cap bottles for three reasons: they’re easy to use (once you figure it out), they don’t require specialized capping tools, and they look pretty classy. These two videos are from the manufacturer, to help you assemble and use your bottles.
We mentioned the historical practice of baking bread with the barm from the pot. Another thing you can do is use the grains leftover after you brewed, called “spent grains,” to make a lovely bread.
Baking with barm is a bit of a novelty, we will admit. After all, you can pick up yeast at the store pretty much 24/7. But we’ve enjoyed the flavor and texture of spent grains in bread for quite some time. When you make your braggot, give it a try.
Shelley’s bread baking is a bit of an inexact science. She starts with a cup of spent grains, 3/4 cup of water, the scoop of barm, a dollop of honey or sugar (about 2 tablespoons), 2 teaspoons of salt, an egg, 1 cup of wheat flour and white flour to make a satisfactory dough.
Let rise, shape, bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes…
This loaf probably would have benefited from an extra tablespoon or so of gluten to balance the grains and wheat flour–Shelley feels the crumb’s a little big–but it suits perfectly for a bowl of soup.
To coincide with our campaign, we’re going to brew a braggot for you! Using our kit ingredients and technique, we’ll share the process from start to finish so you can see it in action. Here’s the plan for the next 22 days:
Our first update will happen this afternoon, and then again this evening. Day 1 is where the bulk of the brewing happens, and we can share the “cooking” part this afternoon. The timing of the final steps depends on how long it takes for things to cool down (and when we get back from our daughter’s first sectionals game).
So follow us on Kickstarter, and if you’re so inspired share our campaign with a friend!