Beyond Easy Beer Bread Recipe:
A Warm Crusty Loaf In Under An Hour
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Beer Bread With Sharp Cheddar & Fresh Dill
Click here for my Whole Wheat Beer Bread recipe.
Click here to read about my Onion Rye Beer Bread.
When it comes to minimum input and maximum output in the kitchen, beer bread is
about as good as it gets. Five minutes of work reward you with a heavenly aroma
wafting through the house and a warm, crusty loaf in under an hour. I once made beer
bread for a cooking class called Cozy Breads & Soups, and even after watching me make
it, several people could still hardly believe how easy it was to put together--and how
good it tasted.
Beer bread is delicious warm or at room temperature and goes well with just about
anything. You can even use it to make sandwiches. A thick slice of leftover beer bread
popped in the toaster and slathered with butter is a wonderful thing. It also freezes
beautifully. (If you do not intend to serve your beer bread right away, keep in mind that
the flavor of any herbs you add may intensify over time.)
There are endless flavor variations of beer bread possible; simply add whatever you
desire to the basic dry mix. Try experimenting with different beers and ales, too. A
darker beer will give you a deeper flavor. You can even make it with non-alcoholic beer.
For this loaf I used a bottle of our homebrewed Irish light lager, along with fresh dill and
finely grated sharp cheddar cheese. The combination was inspired by the hardy
volunteer dill I was thrilled to discover the other day in my organic heirloom kitchen
garden. (Are you a gardener or wanna-be gardener? You'll find planting and growing
tips, original Less Fuss More Flavor recipes, lots of photos, and more at the offshoot blog
to Farmgirl Fare, InMyKitchenGarden.com.)
Many people first taste beer bread that was made from a mix. Then they start
wondering if they can make their own beer bread from scratch. The answer is yes! In
about five minutes. In fact, once you realize just how few ingredients there are in basic
beer bread (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, & beer), it's difficult to believe that
anyone would have the nerve to market beer bread mix. And yet I've seen packages of
it selling for upwards of eight dollars.
That said, why not make up a few batches of your own signature homemade beer bread
mix to give away during the holidays? Just tuck a zipper bag of the dry mix into a
colorful tin (or even a brown paper bag tied with a festive ribbon) and voila!--a
charming, scrumptious gift suitable for practically any occasion. Include baking
instructions written or printed out on a simple card; all they have to do is stir a 12-
ounce bottle of beer into the mix, spread it in a pan, and pop it in the oven.
And if the recipient is a very dear friend, you might even consider sharing the recipe for
the mix. For an even niftier gift, create an all-in-one Beer Bread Kit: nestle the beer
bread mix and a bottle of beer in a nice pan. I love these Chicago Metallic Commercial
Loaf Pans--I use them for baking all of my yeast breads, too.
Or you can just keep the recipe to yourself for a while. It's not like it'll be any trouble to
make them some more.
Farmgirl Susan's Beyond Easy Dill & Cheddar Beer Bread Recipe
Makes One Loaf
The optional egg glaze gives the top a beautiful, dark golden color. As always, I
encourage you to use locally produced and/or organic ingredients whenever possible.
Basic Beer Bread Mix:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
12 ounces beer
Optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, dill, and cheddar
in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be
thick. Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan, brush with egg glaze if desired, and bake
until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45
minutes.
Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Flavor Variations (also see the comments section at the end of this post for lots more
beer bread flavor inspiration):
Garlic & Herb: Add 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon
dried thyme, and 2 minced garlic cloves (or 1 teaspoon garlic flakes) to the basic mix.
For fresh herbs, use 1 chopped Tablespoon of each.
Dill & Chive: Add 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried dill) and 1/4
cup chopped fresh chives to the basic mix.
Rosemary & Feta (courtesy of my bread baking pal, Beth): Add 2 Tablespoons
chopped fresh rosemary and 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces) to the basic
mix.
Italian: Add 1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano (or 1 Tablespoon each chopped
fresh basil and oregano), 2 minced cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
or romano cheese to the basic mix.
Other Additions: Any dried or fresh herbs; 1/2 cup freshly grated asiago (or other hard
cheese); 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped scallions; 1/2 cup chopped
fresh parsley, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour or 1/2 cup oats in place of 1/2 cup of the all-
purpose flour. Or practically anything else you can think of--just use your imagination.
Farmgirl Susan's Almost Too Easy Whole Wheat Beer Bread Recipe
Makes One Loaf
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
14 ounces beer (or 12 ounces beer & 2 ounces water)
Optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large
mixing bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Spread
in a greased 8-inch loaf pan (I love my Chicago Metallic Commercial Loaf Pans--they're
great for yeast breads, too), brush with egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden
brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.Cool in the
pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm
or at room temperature.
Flavor Variations:
Onion Rye or Un-Rye: Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet. Add 1 cup finely chopped onion and 1
Tablespoon caraway seeds. Cook at medium heat, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and beginning to
brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. (This step may be done ahead of time; let onion mixture sit at room temperature up
to two hours or refrigerate.)
If desired, replace the 3 cups of all-purpose flour with 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup rye flour and 1/2 cup
whole wheat flour. Stir onion mixture into batter along with 2 more Tablespoons of beer or water.
Cheddar & Dill: Add 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill and finely grated sharp cheddar cheese to the basic mix.
Garlic & Herb: Add 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 2
minced garlic cloves (or 1 teaspoon garlic flakes) to the basic mix. For fresh herbs, use 1 chopped Tablespoon
of each.
Dill & Chive: Add 2 Tablespoons fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried dill) and 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives to the
basic mix.
Italian: Add 1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano (or 1 Tablespoon each chopped fresh basil and oregano), 2
minced cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan or romano cheese to the basic mix.
Other Additions: Any dried or fresh herbs; 1/2 cup freshly grated asiago (or other hard cheese); 1/2 cup chopped
scallions; 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup oats in place of 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour; or practically
anything else you can think of — use your imagination.