Cheddar Beer Bread
Amazingly delicious. Savory, hearty but not overly dense, and with a hint of sweetness, like the bread in Chinese BBQ pork buns. *And* it is super easy to make. Score!
I chalk up the astounding success of this particular loaf to the 2 very-dark beers which had been leftover in the fridge for some time. I used a mix of Russian Imperial Stout and Oatmeal stout because I didn't have enough of any one beer. It smelled very strongly savory when I poured it onto the flour mixture, reminiscent of soy sauce and scallions. Of course, soy sauce contains a lot of wheat fermented along with the soy beans. Coincidence? I don't think so.
You *could* make this with some other lighter beer, but the flavor won't be the nearly same. The main flavor is the rich savory possibly-soy-sauce flavor + scallions. Sure, there was cheese in the bread, but the incredible aroma started when I added the beer to the batter, not when the cheese came in later. Also, while this bread comes out dark colored, it's not from whole wheat or rye flour, but from the dark beer.
Modified a lot from the "Cheddar-Chive Beer Bread" recipe from Southern Living, September 2003 (found on MyRecipes.com, http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cheddar-chive-beer-bread, where it has 5/5 stars, 3 reviews as of 2014.10.25)
Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350 degF. (This is a very fast recipe to assemble, you will probably be done by the time the oven heats up.)
In a large bowl, whisk (or sift) together the self-rising flour mix. Add the sugar and stir well. Add the scallions and stir to get the pieces coated with the flour mixture and separated. Add the grated cheese and stir to coat and separate. In a small bowl, mix both the beers and the water. Pour liquids into the large bowl with the flour mixture and stir gently until just moistened. The beer will foam a bit and cause the baking powder to bubble; try not to deflate the bubbles.
Pour into a lightly greased 9" x 5" loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degF for 45 minutes.
While it is baking, melt the butter in a small bowl then mix in the oil. When the 45 minutes are up, pour or brush the butter/oil mixture on top, then bake 10 more minutes.
Let cool 20 minutes or so then remove from pan and let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
I chalk up the astounding success of this particular loaf to the 2 very-dark beers which had been leftover in the fridge for some time. I used a mix of Russian Imperial Stout and Oatmeal stout because I didn't have enough of any one beer. It smelled very strongly savory when I poured it onto the flour mixture, reminiscent of soy sauce and scallions. Of course, soy sauce contains a lot of wheat fermented along with the soy beans. Coincidence? I don't think so.
You *could* make this with some other lighter beer, but the flavor won't be the nearly same. The main flavor is the rich savory possibly-soy-sauce flavor + scallions. Sure, there was cheese in the bread, but the incredible aroma started when I added the beer to the batter, not when the cheese came in later. Also, while this bread comes out dark colored, it's not from whole wheat or rye flour, but from the dark beer.
Modified a lot from the "Cheddar-Chive Beer Bread" recipe from Southern Living, September 2003 (found on MyRecipes.com, http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cheddar-chive-beer-bread, where it has 5/5 stars, 3 reviews as of 2014.10.25)
Ingredients
- 3 cups self-rising flour mix -OR- 3 cups (360g) all purpose flour, 3 tsp baking soda, and 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- scant 1/2 cup (30g) chopped scallions (aka spring onions)
- 3/4 cup (3 oz) grated dubliner cheese (or other sharp cheddar-type)
- 4 fl oz russian imperial stout beer
- 4 fl oz oatmeal stout beer
- 4 fl oz water
- 1 tsp butter
- 2.5 tsp (12g) vegetable oil
Preheat the oven to 350 degF. (This is a very fast recipe to assemble, you will probably be done by the time the oven heats up.)
In a large bowl, whisk (or sift) together the self-rising flour mix. Add the sugar and stir well. Add the scallions and stir to get the pieces coated with the flour mixture and separated. Add the grated cheese and stir to coat and separate. In a small bowl, mix both the beers and the water. Pour liquids into the large bowl with the flour mixture and stir gently until just moistened. The beer will foam a bit and cause the baking powder to bubble; try not to deflate the bubbles.
Pour into a lightly greased 9" x 5" loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degF for 45 minutes.
While it is baking, melt the butter in a small bowl then mix in the oil. When the 45 minutes are up, pour or brush the butter/oil mixture on top, then bake 10 more minutes.
Let cool 20 minutes or so then remove from pan and let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.