When you want some fresh bread with dinner, but you’re short on time, beer bread is the way to go. But there’s more than one way to mix it up! A dark beer like Guinness makes for a loaf that pairs incredibly well with beef; or mix in a sweet apple cider for a sweeter bread to accompany pork or chicken; or use seltzer water for a basic loaf that you can customize with a variety of mix-ins.
CLIFF NOTES:
Preheat oven to 375°; coat the inside of a loaf pan with softened butter and cornmeal; mix together the dry ingredients, 2 T melted butter, and 12 oz of beer or other carbonated beverage. Spoon into pan and bake for 35-45 minutes until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing (about 20 minutes).
MAKE IT YOUR WAY:
– Use your favorite beer (including non-alcoholic beer), cider, or seltzer – just make sure it’s carbonated!
– Stir in some lovely additions such as cheese, peppers, corn, dried fruit, nuts, herbs, or spices – choose something that will complement the rest of the meal.
– Make them into muffins – prepare the muffin tins the same way, fill each cup about 2/3 full, and bake for 15-20 minutes.
SIMPLIFY IT:
Sorry … I’ve got nothing to offer here … this is as simple as it gets!
It always makes me sad to know how many people avoid making bread at home because yeast seems so intimidating. This makes me very sad, because it’s really not difficult, but it can be finicky and very time consuming. So what’s a home cook to do when you want some delicious home-baked bread but you’re too short on either time or confidence to make your own yeast bread? Well, you turn to a time-honored bread recipe – beer bread! It only requires seven ingredients that you’re almost certain to always have on hand: flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, butter, cornmeal (for dusting the pan, but you could also use flour), and beer … or cider … or seltzer.
That’s it. Mix it all together, bake it for 35 minutes or so, and you have a tender, flavorful loaf of bread that will be perfect for your meal.
Try it and find out just how easy it really is!
Quick Beer Bread (or Cider Bread, or Seltzer Bread)
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, softened
- 3 Tablespoons Cornmeal
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
- 12 oz Beer (I prefer a dark beer like Guinness or a very mild-flavored beer. You can also substitute cider or seltzer water, for a different flavor.)
- 3 Tablespoons Butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare a loaf pan by covering the inside with softened butter, then sprinkling with cornmeal. Turn the pan around until the cornmeal sticks to the butter and completely covers the inside of the pan. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, 2 Tablespoons melted butter, and beer. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are combined, but do not over mix or the bread may become tough. Spread into prepared loaf pan, and spoon the remaining 3 Tablespoons of melted butter over the top.
- Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 35-45 minutes until a think knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely.