This beer bread came about one night when the perfect opportunity presented itself. I found myself with a night off, and my good friend Desiree coming to visit. While waiting for Des, I flipped through Joy of Cooking. Truth be told, I was looking for a dessert recipe to further my addiction as of late. Nothing really stood out to me at the moment, and Bob suggested I look for a bread recipe instead. I suppose we didn’t need more dessert anyways…
Immediately, beer bread caught my eye. I’m still growing into my appreciation for beer, but I found the idea of beer as a raising agent very compelling. Bob and I ran to the store to pick up a few missing ingredients, and quickly compiled what we needed to get started. I was so excited! Meanwhile, Desiree showed up and reminded me of her allergy to onions, and beer. Well, crap. Despite this, I continued with the bread, settling Des in with some wine, and chocolate instead. You can’t go wrong with that!
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ cups light or dark beer (but not stout), cold or at room temperature, but not flat.
- ½ cup grated aged cheddar
- ¼ cup chives (chopped)
- ½ shallot (minced)
- 2 tsp caraway seeds
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Grease an 8½ x 4½ inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the beer, cheddar, scallions, shallots and caraway seeds, folding gently until dry ingredients become moist.
- Spread the bread evenly into the loaf pan.
- Bake about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf, comes out clean.
- Let bread cool on a rack 5-10 minutes before releasing from pan.
Recipes adapted from Joy of Cooking.
This recipe was so straightforward, requiring no kneading, and providing a different density and texture than the airy chew of the sourdough Bob usually makes. I also really liked the caraway seeds! It was a good choice for the night, and I have to credit Bob for that one. So, thanks babe!
Til later,
Shan
