This is a heavy dark peasant bread, sort of a mock rye bread. You could push it closer to rye if you want to add caraway seeds to it. It has a coarser texture, in part because of being a single rise, and a high percentage of whole wheat flour.
The coloration comes from the things you see in eastern European breads; cocoa, coffee, and of course beer. To make it quicker there is a larger quantity of yeast than single loaf recipes often call for.

Single rise beer bread recipe
Equipment
- Bowl
- Loaf pan
- Razor/Sharp knife
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Dark beer
- 2 Teaspoons Instant yeast
- 2 Tablespoons Brown sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Unsweetened cocoa
- 1 Cup Whole wheat flour
- ¼ Cup Coffee
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Cups All-purpose flour
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Warm ¼ cup coffee with 2 Tablespoons butter. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a bowl, combine:¾ cup dark beer, 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- Let sit 5 minutes. Whisk in;2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
- Let sit 5 minutes. Whisk in;1 cup whole wheat flour, Coffee and softened butter
- Add;2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon saltStir together to make a shaggy dough.
- Turn to a lightly floured counter.
- Board and knead until smooth.
- Shape into cylinder and place in a lightly oiled loaf pan. Place in a warm spot for one hour, should be close to double in size.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make a few cuts across the top of the loaf with a razor or sharp knife.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until the internal temp is 190 or the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from pan to rack, let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing.