Beer Bread Basic Recipe

I love experimenting with beer when it comes to cooking. It is always fun to mix together two things that have such similar beginnings in the culinary world.  The first beers and breads were the result of the same ingredients water and cereal grains with the addition of accidental yeast.  The grain for the bread is ground however and baked.  Here are a few reasons why I love baking beer bread, feel free to add your own in the comments section.  I also teach beer bread classes for private groups and public groups so grab some friends and head over for beer and bread fun.  The school is located just 20 minutes from Iowa City and Cedar Rapids.

• It makes for the perfect house warming/game watching/dinner/ whatever party present.  Simply pick up a 6-pack of whichever beer you are going to bake with, use one bottle for the bread and bring the remaining 6 pack with the loaves of bread to the party.  You get to highlight not only a favorite brew but get bonus points for showcasing it in bread as well.
• The sweet beer breads make for a perfect addition to a breakfast or brunch and are memorable because people don't equate beer bread with a sweet bread.  Basically you look like an ingenious baker.
• These breads are quick, easy and as long as you have beer on hand, the ingredients are commonly found in all kitchens.
• No kneading required, no rise time.  If kneading is what keeps you from bread making, start with an easy bread like the one below.
• Beer bread is the ideal hearty bread for hot sandwiches, soups, stews, you name it. 
• You can freeze it away but like all homemade breads, slice the loaf first so you can just pull out the number of slices you need instead of sawing through a frozen loaf.
• The varieties of beer bread are endless, I love adding bacon and peppers, cheese and garlic, berries, vanilla, etc.  Match the ingredients to the beer and with the variety of beers now available you can have a lot of fun.

 Beer....Bread....Enjoy     

Basic Beer Bread with Variations

Mixture of 3 1/2 cups of flours

• Example: 1 c rye (1c barley, 1 cup unbleached white, 1/2 cup oats)
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp Baking powder
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (increase this or add honey for sweeter beer breads such as blueberry, apple crisp, pumpkin, cherry)
• melted butter to pour on top before baking

FOR BERRY OR SWEET BREADS

• 1 tsp Vanilla
• extra honey or brown sugar on top or mixed in.
• Apple Crisp Bread
• Add one large apple diced
• cinnamon (nutmeg, cloves)
• Pumpkin Bread
• 1 can pumpkin
• mix in beer until batter forms (will not need entire beer so drink up!)
• Pumpkin spice seasonings (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, all spice)
• Savory Beer Breads Options
• 1 cup chopped bacon (1 cup shredded cheese, 1 jalapeño minced)
• 2 tsp garlic (1 cup shredded cheese)

1. Combine the dry ingredients, add in the beer and mix until combined. Top with oats if you like and pour melted butter on top after transferring into a loaf pan. Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes.

Beer Suggestions:
Fruit beers such as apple, blueberry, cherry, raspberry... make great sweet breads.
Guinness is my favorite for just a dense and filling bread perfect with Irish cheese and ham or butter.
Jalapeño Pepper Beer is great baked with cheddar cheese also in the bread, bacon, and garlic.