Beer Bread

There’s something you should know.

I don’t bake bread.

Except…for this beer bread recipe.

I’m just not into the whole kneading and rising thing.  I do have a bread machine – somewhere – but the last time I used it was two kids, one husband and another couple of boyfriends ago (and since you don’t know me, let me just clarify that it was a long, long time ago).

But about this beer bread…

This is not a sandwich type beer bread that you’re going to slice into perfect little pieces.  This is a can’t-wait-one-more-second-for-it-to-cool-before-I-devour-it bread.  It’s a bit crumbly, with a crunchy top and a soft, tender center.  It’s thick and sweet and sooooo lip-smackin’ yummy!   I usually eat a couple of pieces the moment it’s out of the oven, but I try to have a hefty batch of chili or stew waiting in the wings – it’s the perfect combination!  It’s also fantastic with spinach dip!

But what’s even better than the flavor of this beer bread is how easy it is to whip up!  It’s got a whopping six – yes, just six! – ingredients.  You mix up the dry, add a bottle of beer, mix just until incorporated and dump it in a loaf pan.  Oh!  And then pour butter over the top and bake it for what feels like eternity an hour.  You’ll impress and astound your friends and family with your new beer bread-making capabilities (shhhh…we won’t tell them you didn’t even have to knead)!

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REALLY AWESOME BEER BREAD

• 3 cups flour (sifted)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 (12 ounce) can beer
• 1/2 cup butter (melted)

The first thing you want to do is preheat your oven to 375 degrees. This is always the first thing you should do before beginning a recipe; you want your oven to have plenty of time to get to the right temperature.

Sift your flour. Go ahead and skip this step if you’re looking for a tough, heavy brick to serve with dinner.  Don’t complain, just do it!

Add the rest of the dry ingredients to the flour, and mix well. How easy was that?  Now, for the fun part…

Dump in the beer. How many of your recipes have those instructions?

Mix just until incorporated.Don’t work too hard.  It’s overrated.

Put the dough into a greased loaf pan. Preferably glass, but whatever you’ve got will do.

Pour melted butter over the top.  Oh yeah, baby!

Place in your wonderful oven and bake for one hour.  Yes, this will seem like an eternity.  Yes, you will be checking the oven every ten minutes to see how your amazing creation  is doing.  Yes, you will be pacing in front of your oven the final fifteen minutes of cooking because your stomach is growling and your mouth salivating.  But think of how many calories you’ll burn!  More bread for you, my friend!

(By the way, depending on the size of your loaf pan, you might want to consider putting a cookie sheet or some other large type pan (or just a piece of foil if you’re too lazy to clean another pan) on the rack beneath it while it’s baking.  The butter has a tendency to bubble up and occasionally dribble down the sides.)
Allow to cool fifteen minutes before slicing and enjoying.

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