Does this ever happen to you? You spend all afternoon in the kitchen on a crisp fall day creating a hearty soup or stew that will make your family proclaim you as kitchen royalty while they’re fighting over seconds – and then you realize you don’t have any bread to sop up the wonderful juices of your awesome autumn creation. Sigh.
The answer to the “Oh no, no bread!?” problem is one-hour beer bread.
The texture of this bread is dense and hearty, and it is best right out of the oven. Or toasted – it is GREAT when toasted, or made into garlic bread. This is just my basic recipe for those times when I didn’t quite plan ahead for bread; it is flexible and easy to vary. You can change up the herbs and spices to match your main dish, add cheese, jalapeños, and/or fresh onion and garlic, or experiment with different beers. I like to use a dark beer to accompany hearty dishes, but a light one will work, too. Be sure to choose a beer that you like, because its taste will come through. In other words, if you don’t like hoppy beer and someone left some at a party recently that you want to get rid of, don’t use that beer for this bread.
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups flour (sift it if you want a less dense crumb – I don’t)
- 1 tbsp. dried minced onion or 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 12 oz. beer, preferably dark, at room temperature
Note: beer bread recipes often call for self-rising flour, but I usually don’t have it. If you do and prefer to use it, just eliminate the baking soda and salt.
Cooking Instructions (makes about 10 thick slices)
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a loaf pan with cooking spray. Mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl, then pour in the olive oil and beer and stir. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and bake on the middle rack for 50 minutes.
Looking for a soup recipe to accompany your beer bread? Check out the lentil soup pictured above, made on-site at Glover Gardens by European colleagues at a pot-luck party: Pot Luck Perfect: In-the-Moment Lentil Soup . The beer bread can be used for the Norwegian Waiting Bread that is also described in the post.
Copyright 2016, Glover Gardens Cookbook
