Today’s post I want to introduce to you to an Atlanta-based Dungeons & Dragons story podcast called North by North Quest. I met North by North Quest’s Chelsea Steverson and Tiffany and David Alvord at Momocon last year during the “How to Start a Podcast” panel and I’ve been hooked on their show ever since. I’ve been meaning to cook up this recipe for Drunken Mushroom Wheat Bush Drench Toast for some time, now.
But before we get to that, let me tell you more about the hilarious audio journey that is North by North Quest.
Click here for the recipes for Wheatbush Beer Bread and Drunken Mushroom Drench Toast!
North by North Quest
North by North Quest’s story centers around three characters as they try to find their way home after escaping mysterious interplanar kidnappers. First up is Valen More, the greatsword-slinging half-orc fighter, who holds a soft spot for cute and tiny creatures — as long as they’re not trying to murder her face off.
Next up is Pa’s “Pascal” Scaltula, the drow-elf wizard, whose powerful thirst for knowledge rivals only his phoenix familiar’s thirst for bourbon. He also likes painting, birds, and fun hats.
Finally, we have Sylo Scibin Sporelit – the half gnome/half mushroom druid with an infectious personality, a psychotropic saliva gland, and a love for plants that borders on disturbing.
Flung into the Great Library between worlds, Val, Pascal, and Sylo find themselves at the center of a prophecy that determines the entire fate of the multi-verse. What I particularly love about this plotline are the unlimited campaign possibilities that the multiverse offers. The party currently travels through a post-apocalyptic, wild-west style wasteland, but the story’s also been to a crazy yuletide fantasy world complete with Krampus and other folkloric horrors, as well as a rock-and-roll themed fantasy world much in the style of Tenacious D’s song “The Metal.”
The Great Library itself is even a vast world with of a mind of its own, challenging its patrons to a bevy of mysterious artifacts, perilous biospheres, and ever-changing corridors.
Wheat Bush and Magic Mushrooms
Wheat Bush and Drench Toast are introduced in prologue after Sylo, Pascale, and Val wake up shipwrecked near the pirate shanty town of Krag’s Cove. They soon find that they are stranded by a curse that landlocks the pirate population — leaving them to drink away their days on wheat bush beer and whatever questionable bottles wash up upon their shores.
The Wheat Bush, a mutant variant of grain consisting of multi-head bushels on stalks as thick as tree trunks, is the main form of sustenance in Krag’s Cove. The “Local Brew” of beer made from the wheat bush is in everything, including the tavern owner’s favorite recipe for “Drench Toast.”
The key ingredient in Drench Toast, of course, is beer. I had to find a wheat ale that best fit either Krag’s Cove or the spirit of North by North Quest. I decided to go with Abita’s Purple Haze as its raspberry, and unfiltered haziness seemed reminiscent of Sylo’s perpetually chill state and her healing goodberries. The name also references a certain God of the rock-and-roll world Locnar.
First I blended this beer with molasses and fresh thyme to make fresh bread, letting it slow-rise overnight for a slight rum and sourdough taste. Note, this bread is also delightful toasted with salted butter and drizzle of honey or molasses.
I then whipped up an egg, brown sugar, and beer batter to soak the bread in, and baked them until fluffy. At this point, I should probably mention that the only previously-encountered monster the party has not defeated yet is Sylo’s inebriation.
Finally, to top this pile of drenched, toasty goodness, I sauteed up some shiitake mushrooms with even more beer, some bourbon, and maple syrup. Why bourbon? Both Sylo and Pascal’s familiar Archimedes love the firey burn of Wild Turkey juice. It’s a good combo, though. The bourbon adds just a touch of vanilla. Why mushrooms? Sylo and Val make mushroom omelets while in Locnar. Don’t ask me where they found the mushrooms.
The result certainly rolled a critical success in conjuring a multi-classed sweet and savory breakfast with a +2 mushroom umami bonus.
If you liked this recipe or fun DnD story podcasts in general, check out North by North Quest here. I cannot stress enough how fun these folks are. Subscribe to the show, support their Patreon, chat to them on Twitter. Come to their live show in Atlanta at Momocon this Memorial Day Weekend. You might just end up on the show as an NPC on the show like I did!
recipe
Roll for Flavor
Wheat Bush Beer Bread
Equipment: 2 large mixing bowls, small mixing bowl, wire whisk, plastic wrap, refrigerator, oven.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 12 oz bottle Abita’s Purple Haze, room temperature
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
- cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
Ingredients:
- Whisk the beer, yeast, and molasses together in a mixing bowl. Turn the oven on for 20 seconds then turn it off. Place the bowl in the oven while you prepare the other ingredients – about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Beat the eggs with the kosher salt in a smaller bowl and set to the side. Clean and dry the whisk, then whisk the thyme into the flour in a separate bowl until well incorporated.
- Remove the beer bowl from the oven. The mixture should be foaming at this point. Pour in the egg and salt into the bowl, then add the flour a cup at a time. Mix the dough with a spatula until the dry ingredients are mixed in with the wet.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 4-6 minutes until it retains elasticity. Place the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let rise for an hour.
- Punch down the dough and coat it with a layer of cooking spray. Cover it again with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator overnight.
- The following day, preheat the oven to 450° F.
- Coat a baking sheet with baking spray and lightly dust the surface with cornmeal. Form the dough into two loaves and slash the tops with a sharp knife. Lightly spray the loaves with cooking spray and season liberally with kosher salt.
- Bake the loaves in the oven for 22-25 minutes and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.
Drunken Mushroom Drench Toast
Serves 6 – 8 Adventurers
Equipment: Bread knife and cutting board, mixing bowl, wire whisk, stovetop, 12″ skillet, two baking sheets, parchment paper.
Ingredients:
- 2 loaves of Wheat-bush Beer Bread
- 12 oz. bottle Abita Purple Haze
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 4 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- fresh thyme
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F
- Slice the ends off the ends of the bread, then slice the loaves into half-inch pieces.
- Whisk the brown sugar, eggs, and a pinch of kosher salt in a mixing bowl with 1 cup of beer. Dip the bread slices into the batter until fully coated and let sit on a large plate for at least 10 minutes. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Heat the skillet over medium heat on the stovetop with a coat of cooking spray. In batches, fry the bread until golden brown, 1.5 – 2 minutes per side, and place the slices on the baking sheets to bake for 7 minutes in the oven.
- Melt two tablespoons of butter in the skillet. Then stir in the mushrooms and a pinch or two of kosher salt to cook about 1.5 – 2 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with bourbon and let simmer another two minutes. Stir in the maple syrup and turn off the heat on the stovetop. Add the butter and stir in to melt completely.
- Plate portions of freshly baked Drench Toast and top each with a small pile of syrupy mushrooms. Garnish with black pepper and fresh thyme leaves before serving.
