Friday, December 5, 2008

Beer Cheese Bread


It's a rather well-known fact that I'm not a big fan of beer. You wouldn't guess it knowing some of the people I've hung out with over the years. And of course then there's my husband, who loves the stuff and even brews his own beer. That's right - I gave him beer mixes for our anniversary a few weeks ago. I'd love to support his hobby, but I just can't bring myself to like anything he's made. Shame on me.

So... beer cheese bread? Really?

Yep.


I've developed a newfound fondness for beer. I've finally found a use for the beverage - pour it into a batch of bread and voila! Tasty!

I served this with hot bowls of chili. Moist, comforting, perfect.



Beer Cheese Bread
(from Cooking Light magazine)

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
13.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3 cups)
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
12 oz. bottle lager-style beer (I used Yuengling)
2 Tbsp. melted butter, divided

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion to pan; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in pepper and garlic, cook 1 minute.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; make a well in center of mixture. Add onion mixture, cheese, and beer to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

4. Spoon batter into a 9x5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. butter over batter. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes. Drizzle remaining 1 Tbsp. butter over batter. Bake an additional 25 minutes or until deep golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Try some variations to this recipe: Use cheddar cheese, a hard cider, and add apple chunks for Apple-Cheddar Beer Bread. Or, substitute jalapenos for the onion, use Manchego cheese and a Mexican beer for Manchego-Jalapeno Beer Bread. So many possibilities! Happy baking!

8 comments:

Cathy said...

This looks so wonderful! I'm with you on the beer front. I choked it down for years in school and finally said "why am I drinking this?" But I love it in breads (and sometimes chili). And add some cheese in . . . well, this looks absolutely perfect!

I left an award for you on my blog -- at the end of the lasagna post.

Anonymous said...

I am not a big fan of beer either, even though I do like Bud Light Lime. But that bread was yummy! I am going to make this bread next time I make chili:)

kodi joelle said...

jeff brews too! he is actually brewing today. i don't like anything he makes either :)

Kristina said...

Where in the world do you get beer mixes? I might have to get that for Curtis, as he greatly enjoys beer. I can't stand it! I'm definatly going to have to try that bread!

Anonymous said...

Oh, yeah, so going there...soon...this would be a big hit with The Main Guy around here...a nice slice of this with a slice of cheese and a beer for the game...yep...I'll tell him you sent me. It's important to give credit where credit is due! Thanks for the recipe!

Anonymous said...

this looks amazing. my dad would love this bread. beer is his favorite drink in the world.

Tina Butler said...

I love beer bread, but i have never made or ate beer cheese bread. Ok you have me sold on this recipe.

Unknown said...

Baked a double batch of your beer bread with Yuengling and Jalapeno Cheddar for a beer tasting party. Everyone raved about it. Thanks for the recipe!!