Beer Bread (Recipe)

Beer lovers unite! This is not a new concept. Beer bread has been around for a long time and I actually used to make it quite regularly and then forgot about it for a while. I remembered it again this past week and decided to make it with one of my favorite beers...Sierra Nevada (Torpedo Extra IPA Ale). Of course, the great thing about this recipe is you can use any beer you like.

My preference is for darker beers. I find they tend to have more body and deeper flavor than lighter beers, which taste a bit watery to me. Although I've had a few imported lighter beers (from Belgium and Germany) that were very tasty and refreshing. But I digress. On to the bread.

I first preheated the oven to 350 degrees, buttered a loaf pan and set it aside. Then, in a large mixing bowl I added 2 cups of white flour, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar (packed), 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, and 1 tsp. salt. After mixing this well, I then added one egg and 1 bottle of beer (12 oz.) and mixed well.

I then poured the batter into the buttered loaf pan (the batter will be very sticky and lumpy) and smoothed out the top a bit with the back of a spoon. Then I melted in the microwave the leftover butter I used to butter the loaf pan and poured it over the top of the batter and baked it until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread came out clean (about 40 minutes).

This bread also makes the whole house smell hoppy and bready. So nice. Great for sandwiches or just by itself!