Beer bread recipe
Because drinking it is not the only fun you can have with a can or bottle of beer, here’s a recipe for beer bread. Baking it is a snap since it doesn’t call for yeast and the result is a wholesome, soft, yummy loaf with a crunchy crust on the outside.
About the beer: I’m pretty sure you can use whatever type of beer you fancy, but I can be wrong. I’ve used Guinness, Heineken and other local clear brews; they’ve all turned out great. For this instance I used a bottle of Dos Equis Ambar which is technically a lager but with the robust flavor and body of an amber ale. In the end, the only difference I noticed in this particular bake was a slight and quite satisfying rise in the bitterness of the bread compared to previous iterations (save the Guinness-infused one, of course; that one was sharp, but still delicious). I encourage you to try with different brews and share your experiences.
List of ingredients
- 12 oz. of your favorite beer
- 3 cups flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Sift dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Shake or quickly pour the beer into a container to create as much fizz as possible. Then slowly add the foamy beer to the flour mixture and combine well by hand. Do this until you obtain a sticky dough that does not separate easily.
3. Spoon the dough into a greased ovenproof dish or bread pan. Try to transfer as much dough as possible to the dish or pan in a single gob, since each additional spooning will tend to create layers on top of the bread and your loaf will most likely resemble a pale tumor. Don’t worry, it’ll still taste fantastic. Also, don’t shake or otherwise try to settle the dough once transferred. Just place it on a lower rack in the oven as-is.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Remove and let it cool for 15-20 min before removing from the dish or pan. You can let it cool even further for a crunchier crust.
I served my wedge of bread with a slice of Gouda cheese and some sweet onion jam that I made while the bread was baking. You can find the recipe for the jam here.
Enjoy!