Mar 5 08
by cara
at 11:13 PM
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Beer Bread

This time I used a recipe from Rebecca Rather’s The Pastry Queen cookbook I stole borrowed from my mom.  This is one of those cookbooks that I can just sit and read like a novel.  It’s got great pictures, great recipes, and interesting notes about each recipe.  Ms. Rather really seems like someone you’d like to be friends with.  Her bakery, Rather Sweet, is just a hop, skip, and a jump from here in Fredericksburg, Texas, and she used to live and work here in Houston.  My parents have been to her bakery and experienced first-hand some of the divine desserts featured in this book.  Hopefully I’ll get there someday too, but The Picky Apple is a homebody, and not big on traveling.  (Raise your hand if you are surprised…)

I’ve made beer bread several times before, and when I saw this recipe in the “Lunches and Light Dinners” section of the cookbook, I knew it would be a perfect side for the entrees I’m serving this week.  Beer bread is simple and delicious, and best served hot from the oven.  For the beer, I used Shiner Bock, which is made in Shiner, Texas.  Shiner is halfway between Houston and San Antonio, and is home to the infamous Bocktoberfest, a celebration of beer and music.  This is my entry into Emiline’s St. Paddy’s day Pub Crawl event.  This is her first time hosting a blogging event, so go check out her blog, Sugar Plum, on March 20 to see the roundup of recipes containing beer and liquor!  And be sure to check out all of the other great dishes she’s created and written about on her blog.

I made two easy variations for the bread: Jalepeno Cheddar Beer Bread and Ground Beef and Monterey Jack Beer Bread.  At one of our favorite BBQ joints, they serve a jalepeno cheddar bread that The Picky Apple loves.  So I thought I’d just throw some jalepenos and cheddar into one batch of the beer bread to make it extra yummy and spicy.

The other variation came about because I’ve been thinking lots lately about bread made with ground beef and cheese that I tasted once upon a time.  I can’t for the life of me remember where I tasted it, but I know it was homemade and not from a restaurant.  I discussed this with my mom, and she swears she never made any like that.  It is really driving me crazy that I can’t remember.  Maybe I just dreamed about it.  So that’s the inspiration for the other variation, the Ground Beef and Monterey Jack Beer Bread.

beer-bread.jpg

Beer Bread

from The Pastry Queen, by Rebecca Rather

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 (12 ounce) bottle good-quality beer or ale  ()
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.  In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Pour in the beer and stir until just incorporated.  (The dough will be sticky and heavy).  Pour half the melted butter into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan.  Spoon in the bread dough and pour the remaining half of the butter on top.  Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the bumpy top is golden brown.  Remove from the pan and serve immediately.

Jalepeno Cheddar Variation: After stirring in beer, add 1-2 chopped jalepenos (remove seeds) and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese to dough.  Continue with original recipe.

Ground Beef and Monterey Jack Variation: Brown 1/2 pound ground beef with 1/2 cup chopped onion.  Transfer to paper towels to soak up any extra grease.  After stirring beer into dough, add ground beef and 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese to dough.  Continue with original recipe.

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22 Comments
  1. Sandy permalink

    Shiner Bock is my favorite beer! I’m gonna definitely try this bread; the ground beef and Monterey Jack version sounds so good. With no yeast involved, I think I can actually handle this recipe. Sadly, I’m yeast challenged.

    I’ve been lurking for a while, enjoying your stories and pictures. I just KNEW you had to be from Texas. Howdy from Sherman!

  2. Dorina permalink

    Both the beef and monterey jack beer version breads were awesome!!! I cannot wait to try either of these breads! Thanks so much for the wonderful recipes.

  3. Dude, I read this the other day and didn’t comment. I have NO IDEA why. I get distracted easily.
    This sounds delicious! What a great entry. You get extra points for using beer.
    Bravo!

  4. This is a wonderful sounding recipe to enter into Sugar Plus challenge. I think the jalapeno variation sounds really yummy and I may have to try that.

  5. I just made shiner bock beer bread last night. I’m posting my experiment on my blog in the morning but thought I would do a foodblogsearch first to see who else has made this. I’m thrilled to see you used Rebecca Rather’s recipe!

    Great blog, I will definitely be back!

    Mandy

  6. Deb permalink

    I was looking for a way to use up some beer, and thought bread was a good idea. My son makes beer and brings way too much home for me to consume. Is it really necessary to pour the butter on top? I just greased the pan and put it in the oven. Still in there so will see. I had to measure for I had already used some beer cooking some sausage. So is 12oz.. 1 1/2 cups?
    It seems a little too sticky should have just opened another bottle. Do you sift the flour? I did for another recipe said to do so. I suppose it will be smoother and no lumpy on top. Later..YUMMM

  7. Betsy Drake permalink

    I just made the plain variety of this bread. I’ve never been so thankful for leftover beer in my life. Thank you for the recipe, I’m off to enjoy more deliciously warm-from-the-oven beer bread. Best of luck with the Picky Apple and your little apple.

    Betsy

  8. Deb,

    12 ounces= 1 1/2 cups. I don’t sift my flour, but I’m lazy. It probably isn’t that crucial for this recipe, but most bakers would tell you to sift your flour. The dough is definitely sticky going in to the pan, and the final product will be lumpy on top, but it tastes amazing! Hope you like it!

  9. manda permalink

    I made this last night with cheddar and garlic. I am just so impressed with this recipe, the bread came out moist and chewy! It’s sooooo good warm. it was a huge hit. I live with a bunch of college guys and they devoured it. It only took an hour and no skill. I’m the kind of person that screws everything up. I cant bake bread for the life of me so of course i was hesitant (i hate being disappointed…). I made it, it looked great it tasted great. I just cant say enough about this recipe. I’m definitely gonna bring this to parties and other gatherings just to impress. I just love how it tastes complicated! thanks!

  10. Could you use this recipe in a bread machine?

  11. Lilmamablondie- Not sure about the bread machine. I don’t have one and I’m not very familiar with them. Any bread machine users care to comment? This is a quick bread with no rising and kneading so it is easy peasy to whip together by hand. I hope you give it a try!

  12. Becca permalink

    You can prob use a bread machine, but I would combine the ingredients seperately and then just bake in the machine… either that or use a white bread cycle.

  13. Becca permalink

    I made this for a picnic yesterday, everyone loved it. Thanks so much for posting the recipe! (PS I did not sift the flower, but I did replace a cup of all purpose flour with bread flour to make it fluffier).

  14. SerenitySweets permalink

    Has anyone ever tried this with a non-alcohol beer? I can’t convince my fiancee that the alcohol cooks out! 🙁

  15. I was looking for a beer bread recipe to make tonight with dinner and found this recipe. It came out excellent! Thanks.

  16. Jamie W permalink

    Thanks so much for this recipe. I usually buy the mix from Target or Tastefully Simple, but now I’m so glad to have the recipe. Saves money and I usually always have the ingredients on hand!

  17. bprater permalink

    can you make rolls with this recipe.

  18. I have never attempted to make rolls with this beer bread recipe. I think if you were going to try it, you could divide the melted butter and batter into muffin tins. The cooking time would likely be much shorter too. Please let me know if you attempt it, and how it turns out!

  19. This is my go to recipe for beer bread!

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