Root Beer Recipe
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EQUIPMENT:
Clean 2 liter plastic soft drink bottle with cap. (I do not recommend glass bottles because of the risk of explosive shards of glass...)
Funnel
1 cup measuring cup
1/4 tsp measuring spoon
1 Tbl measuring spoon
Ingredients:
1 cup table sugar [alias cane sugar or sucrose]
Zatarains's Root Beer Extract (1 tablespoon)
Powdered Yeast (1/4 teaspoon) [Baker's works bust has a flavor; Champagne yeast leaves little aftertaste]
cold fresh water [This is important: No chlorine, no softened water, fresh spring water is preferred. Chlorine kills yeast.]
Process:
1) Assemble the necessary equipment and supplies
2) With a dry funnel, add ingredients in sequence: 1 level cup of table sugar (cane sugar)
3) Add: 1/4 teaspoon powdered yeast ( fresh and active)
4) You can see the yeast granules on top of the sugar.
5) Shake to distribute the yeast grains into the sugar.
6) Swirl the sugar/yeast mixture in the bottom to make it concave (to catch the extract).
7) Add with funnel: 1 Tbl of root beer extract (I prefer Zatarain's, but Hires, etc. will work.) on top of the dry sugar
8) The extract sticks to the sugar which will help dissolve the extract in the next steps. If you shake it, it will further help it to dissolve.
9) Half fill the bottle with fresh cool water (the less chlorine, the better since yeast does not like chlorine). You can diminish the amount of chlorine by drawing water the night before, placing in a large pot, and letting it "exhale" the chlorine overnight. Rinse in the extract which sticks to the tablespoon and funnel. Swirl to dissolve the ingredients.
10) Q.s. [fill up] to the neck of the bottle with fresh cool water, leaving about an inch of head space, securely screw cap down to seal. Invert repeatedly to thoroughly dissolve. If you leave it in a warm temperature longer than two weeks, you risk an explosion...
11) Place at room temperature (RT)about three to four days until the bottle feels hard to a forceful squeeze. Move to a cool place (below 65 F). Refrigerate overnight to thoroughly chill before serving. Crack the lid of the thoroughly chilled root beer just a little to release the pressure slowly. NOTE: Do not leave the finished root beer in a warm place once the bottle feels hard. After a couple weeks or so at room temperature, especially in the summer when the temperature is high, enough pressure may build up to explode the bottle! There is no danger of this if the finished root beer is refrigerated.
12) Move to a refrigerator overnight before opening.