Speaking of recipes, I took advantage of yesterday's storms cooling everything down and made some bread! Now, I am totally a baking noob when it comes to bread. I can make cookies and cakes from scratch without batting an eye, but bread scares me. So I'm challenging myself this month and baking more. I started simple, with an easy, no-fuss beer bread. It was a pretty good ringer for the expensive-yet-tasty Simply Tasteful beer bread! Just a word of advice-consider how strong the flavor of the beer you want to use will be. I used a stronger ale this time, and Big Dude and I both thought that it was a bit strong for the bread. Not that it stopped us from eating it, lol. We decided to freeze the remaining bread and use it next time I make beef stew. It's a thick, hearty bread that is ideal for soups, stews, and chili.
- 3 cups flour, sifted (can sift twice, if you wish). Can use wheat or white, but do NOT use self-rising flour.
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 12 oz. can or bottle of beer, can be cold or room temperature.
- 1/4 cup melted butter (can substitute with light olive oil)
Preheat oven to 375. Mix all dry ingredients together, then add beer. Mix until all ingredients are combined. Dough will be a sticky ball. Pour into greased loaf pan. Pour melted butter over dough. Bake for 45-60 minutes until done, crust will be crunchy. Remove loaf from pan, allow to cool 15 minutes.
If you prefer a softer crust, stir the butter into the dough instead of pouring it on top. Also, if you want to try a non-alcoholic beverage instead of regular beer, make sure to add a packet of dry active yeast to the dry ingredients. And play with your ingredients! Add some cheddar, garlic, and italian seasonings. Another suggestion is to use a pumpkin based ale, and to add some cinnamon and extra sugar for a sweet bread.
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