Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Beer bread recipe

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Tonight my children ate bread and butter for dinner. And not much else.

For a moment I wondered if this made me a bad mother. And then I remembered that it was homemade butter and this home-baked beer bread. Not so bad, then.

Work has been stressful and I've been traveling more than I'd prefer. When I'm home, I want comfort food. I love this beer bread recipe because I can get it into the oven in less than five minutes. And because it makes the house smell good. And because it's equally good topped with melted cheese or with peanut butter and jelly. (For the record, I tested that last bit twice yesterday. Two meals of beer bread with melted cheese, and two of beer bread with peanut butter and jelly. Both wonderful.)



I prefer this beer bread sliced thick and toasted. It's a little sweet, which makes it perfect for cheese, jam, peanut butter, or just plain butter. Trust me: You'll be glad you used those five minutes so wisely.



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Beer bread
One of the simplest and most satisfying quick breads you'll ever throw together. Toast it, slather it with butter, and dig in.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1/2 cup whole wheat flour1/4 cup wheat germ1/4 cup dark or light brown sugar1/2 tsp salt2 tsp baking powder1 12-ounce bottle of beer4 Tbsp butter, melted
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large loaf pan with cooking spray.In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, wheat germ, sugar, salt and baking powder. (I always sift the baking powder through a small strainer to make sure there are no lumps.) Add the beer and mix well.Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and drizzle the melted butter over the top. Bake 45 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 1 loaf

12 comments:

Unknown said...

What beer did you use?

Erika Kerekes said...

I knew someone was going to ask me that. Um...something I found in the downstairs refrigerator. See, I'm not a beer drinker. Neither is my husband. So we buy some when we have a party, and leftovers stay in the fridge. It was not particularly dark, although I've used dark beer in this recipe and it's good too. So...anything you like, really.

michael / south bay foodies said...

I'll be cooking this ASAP! One question: do you think a glass loaf pan will work? I don't have a metal one! Might be worth buying for this recipe though. :)

Erika Kerekes said...

Michael, I don't see why a glass loaf pan would be a problem. I happen to have metal, but I don't think it will matter. You might have to bake it a little longer to get it to the right crusty brown outside.

Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. said...

This looks great!

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

Love the comment on "beer in the basement". I only buy beer for parties also and usually buy too much and usually have lots left over. I'm not a beer drinker, so I am always looking for someway to use it up.

So far, this is the very best way I've seen!

Jenni said...

That sounds yummy, Erika. Very yummy! My neighbor brought me a few slices of her beer bread that she made w/Guinness because they had some in the fridge. It was delightfully malty, molasses-y and sweet. And brown. Absolutely amazing w/butter and honey. So cool to be able to change the entire character of the bread by changing the beer you use.

I wish my mom had given us bread and butter for dinner. Wanna adopt me? ;)

Erika Kerekes said...

@Jenni - I'm pretty sure if I give my kids bread and butter for dinner too often I will get a visit from Child Protective Services. But if you'd like to take that chance, come on over. :)

megan @ whatmegansmaking said...

Your bread looks great! i love beer bread...we just never have any beer in the house to make it with!

Megan said...

I just made a beer bread too and I need to try this recipe now! Easy is a bonus!

Lana said...

I am not quite sure that Children Protective Services would look amenably on "home made bread and home made butter":) I think it's the food of gods, but "home made" has not reached the heights for the majority of people, yet (but we can only keep on trying!)
Your kids, just like mine, are spoiled, and they are going to become fine adults who appreciate good things in life. My oldest is a pretty good cook, feeding her room mates and friends at Berkeley, and I don't doubt for a second that your sons are going to follow in your footsteps. What a great lives they are going to have!
Sorry for the rant:(

BTW, I have never eaten beer bread, but everything I read in your post makes me yearn for some. I don't drink beer (oh, maybe a couple of times a year, if I happen to be in Mexico, say), but I worked as a bartender and learned by proxy:)

Looking forward to hanging out at the Camp! Cannot wait!

Mliwis Putih said...

It's a very good creation,i like it.

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