bierstangerl loaf pan focaccia

a savory, chewy and seedy focaccia inspired by bavarian "beer sticks"

what germany lacks in snack variety (my opinion only?), it makes up for in bread variety. there are so many different kinds of breads and bread-y treats, both sweet and savory. i’ve already developed one recipe inspired by my all time favorite—laugencroissants iykyk—and today i’m happy to present this focaccia-ish take on my second favorite german bakery good—bierstangen or bierstangerl.

literally translated as “beer sticks”, they come from bavaria and while i’ve never had one in bavaria, i have been purchasing them from the bakery in my local organic supermarket for years. i love them because they’re easy to eat on the go or buy and take with you to the park or on the train, but they’re also special in that they’re somewhere between a hearty snack and a light meal.

they’re really savory, moist and chewy with plenty of seeds, caramelized onions and cheese throughout. aside from the mix-ins, i love that the dough itself has so much flavor built in thanks to a mix of white and rye flours and dark beer.

to make this version, i ate plenty of my beloved bierstangerl of course, trawled some german recipes and adapted my chili crisp loaf pan foccacia recipe accordingly. after a few tests and tweaks, it came out just how i wanted, pretty much an exact replica of the bierstangerl i get from the bakery, but in loaf pan form. to me, this is a snacking bread, one that i wouldn’t imagine using for sandwiches, but then again i think it would make a pretty good vessel for butter and slice a of ham and cheese.

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serves 2 - 4 as a snack

for the dough

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

90 grams room temperature dark beer (i used a porter but you could also use a stout, schwarzbier or dunkel)

100 grams all purpose or bread flour

20 grams rye flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

flaky salt

black pepper

for the mix-ins

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon linseeds

1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)

2 teaspoons rolled oats

3 tablespoons grated emmental cheese

2 tablespoons cooled caramelized onions (*instructions below)

1. add yeast and beer to a bowl. mix to combine and let sit for 10 minutes. add both flours and salt and mix into a sticky dough with no dry spots. cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes; at this point you could also place the covered bowl in the fridge and let it rest overnight (between 12 hours and 48 hours) before continuing; i’ve made this recipe a few times since originally publishing and would highly recommend letting the dough rest in the fridge overnight for between 24 and 48 hours.

2. mix poppy, sesame, sunflower, caraway, linseeds and oats together in a small bowl and set about one tablespoon of that mixture aside. add the grated cheese and cooled caramelized onions to the remaining seed mixture and mix to combine.

3. after the dough has rested, sprinkle over the seedy cheesy mixture, then use damp hands to lift the far edge of the dough up, slapping the bottom of the dough into the bowl and then folding the top down onto itself (see this video for a visual). turn the bowl 90 degrees to the left (or right) and repeat. repeat twice more so the bowl has done a full 360 degree turn; the dough should be feeling tighter and harder to slap and fold. cover and rest for another 15 minutes.

4. add about 2 tablespoon of olive oil to a loaf pan (mine is 9x5/23 cm), using your hand to rub the oil up the sides of the pan and around the bottom. transfer the dough to the pan, flipping so the dough is covered in some olive oil on both sides. use your already slightly oiled fingers to gently stretch and dimple the dough in the pan. if it doesn’t reach the edges yet, that’s okay. cover and let it rest until the dough has started to visibly expand and rise, this can take anywhere between an hour and 2 hours.

5. after resting, drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and reserved seeds, and top with flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper. use your fingers to dimple the dough, then cover once more while you preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. once the oven is preheated, bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it with your finger.

6. remove the loaf pan from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes. run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the loaf, then remove. i find a spatula helps here if the bottom has stuck a bit. slice into thick pieces and enjoy.

*caramelized onions: peel and thinly slice a few white or yellow onions. melt a few tablespoons of unsalted butter over low heat and add the onions. cook until very soft and sweet, at least 30 minutes or up to an hour, stirring often and adding a tablespoon of water as needed to prevent burning. once deeply caramelized, season with salt to taste and remove from the heat. let cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.