Bread #5: Beer Bread

 

Good morning bread bakers.

So this was a busy weekend and I needed to make something quick and easy and also something that I could take to a Super Bowl party.   This Beer Bread recipe comes from a community cookbook:  Flavors from Western Reserve Academy.  Patty Campbell, one of the English teachers, submitted this recipe and from what I hear, this bread is somewhat famous on campus.  With only 4 ingredients (that I happened to have on hand) and minutes to mix up, I figured this Beer Bread would be perfect!

 

Here is the recipe.  Please bake Beer Bread with me.

 

Tools you will need:

Large bowl
Measuring spoons
Set of dry measuring cups
Knife to cut the stick of butter
Wooden spoon for mixing
Loaf pan
Small bowl or cup to melt butter in

Here are the ingredients:


Ingredients:

1 stick salted butter, cut in half
1 12-ounce bottle of beer
3 Tablespoons sugar
3 cups self-rising flour

 

 

Prep:  Put 1/ 2 stick of butter in the loaf pan and place in oven.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Allow the butter to melt while the oven pre-heats.

Making the Dough:  Meanwhile, pour beer into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the sugar until dissolved.  Add the self-rising flour and mix just until the dry ingredients disappear.  Let sit about 5 minutes.

Baking: Remove pan from oven and spoon dough over the melted butter.  Avoid smoothing the dough – lumpy is good!  Bake for 1 hour.

Finishing the loaf:  As the end of the cooking time approaches, melt the remaining half stick of butter and set aside.  After baking for 1 hour, remove the bread from the oven and immediately pour the melted butter over the bread.  Then, invert the pan and slide bread out.  Cool for about 30 minutes before cutting.

 

 The finished (half-eaten) bread:

Reflections on this bake:

Decadent – that’s what comes to mind.  The outside is crusty and buttery.  The inside is soft and cake-like with a hint of sweetness. You can definitely taste the beer, but it’s not overwhelming.  I figured right – it was the perfect bread to make on a busy weekend and worthy of a Super Bowl party.