Bread Made from Spent Grains

After I started brewing using an all grain method called single infusion I had no idea what to do with the grains I used. I would have 12 to even 20 pounds of "spent" grains that would just get thrown away. They smelled so good I didn't want to just toss them into the garbage. After a few batches I decided to make bread with them. There are conflicting discussions on whether or not bread made from spent barley used for making beers is nutritionally worth anything. Maybe it isn't but I sure love the taste of the recipe I discovered below. The template isn't mine (if I find the website I printed this from I will definitely give them props) but I have tweaked it a little to my taste. If I'm using lighter grains I tend to go with honey as the sweetener, darker grains get molasses. The amount of flour varies batch to batch as well. If the grains are still a little wet I'll add more flour  in 1/2 cup increments switching between the wheat and bread flour. The result is a hearty slightly sweet bread that is hella-licious as a grilled cheese sandwich or with fresh thick cut German bologna. It's even better when you match the cheese to the bread and have a pint of the beer you made along side. Now that I've blown a few minutes of your time I've posted the recipe I use and the resulting bread below. If you try this recipe feel free to tweak and or comment about it here.

I made some changes with my latest batch. They're shown in red. To help relieve the grain of some of the unused wort I put it in a strainer and used the bottom of a coffee cup to pressed as hard as I could. (Jan 20th, 2011) 

3.5 (3 1/3) cups all purpose flour - Remember this varies from batch to batch depending on the wetness of the grain you're using.
2 cup wheat flour (could handle higher ratio of wheat)
2 tsp. salt
3 cups spent grain
¼ cup of sugar, honey or molasses (depending on the grains used when brewing)
¼ cup of slightly melted butter
1 egg (Beaten)
1 (1/2) cup of milk (usually use less, depending on how wet the grain is)

Yeast Starter
1 package of dry bread yeast (Quick rise)
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar (didn't need sugar this time)
Add sugar to water in a bowl and completely dissolve. Add yeast and cover with aluminum foil. Set aside for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes you should see some activity in the bowl. When you're dough is ready roll the yeast to the bowl and knead it into the dough mixture.
Using the quick rise yeast I was able to skip the waiting period. I just added the yeast to warm water, waited about 5 minutes then added the batch to the dough. It rose great with no problems.


Mix the dry, then the wet ingredients until the dough is easily pulled away from sides of bowl and all the ingredients are mixed in well. It's a great idea to use a mixer with a dough hook.

Knead for 10 min by hand or 5 min by mixer. Slowly add yeast starter and mix well.

Shape into ball and let rise in oiled bowl until doubled (about 90 min) Punch down and divide. I usually get 3 average sized loaves out of this. Let it rise again in greased loaf pans or cookie sheet until doubled, (or slightly more as this is dense bread, takes about 1 hr.). Score top of loaves with a knife.

Preheat oven. Bake at 350F for 50 min, until deep golden brown. Spray loaves with water just before going into the oven and again 2 min into baking to make a crunchier crust. Rotate pans halfway through. Let cool for 30 min on baking rack before slicing,

See my results below: