Malted Guinness Beer Bread

The smell of this bread baking envelopes the kitchen in a warm, heady smell that, for me, conjured up memories of touring breweries and distilleries in Ireland. In two words, it smelled magical and comforting. My daughter said it smelled like bittersweet chocolate. I'm sure it was the combination of thick, rich Guinness and malt in the form of barley malt syrup and malted wheat flakes. This is definitely not your granny's beer bread.

With pleasantly chewy texture and notes of rich, malty chocolate, it's not for those with wimpy tastebuds. If you tend towards dark stouts and porters, dark chocolate, and dark coffee, I bet you'll fall head over heals for it like I did, though. I'm putting myself out there when I say basically, this is THE BEST beer bread I've ever eaten. Bold words for a bold bread.

I actually made this loaf almost five months ago, but I'm just now getting around to sharing it with you. I was waiting for the right time, and since I'm hosting this month's edition of #TwelveLoaves, I decided that time was now; I chose Malt as our theme.

All-in-One Beer Bread Kit + Apple Cheddar Beer Bread

There is almost no bread in the world that is easier to make than beer bread.  No joke.  Now, I'm not talking the yeasted variety, though that's honestly not that much trickier, I'm talking the quick bread.  If you can measure, stir, and open a bottle of beer, you're golden.

Even simpler?  Eating it.

It's an all-purpose sort of loaf.  Toast up a fat slice and slather it with butter for breakfast.  Set the loaf out to eat alongside a pot of steaming soup.  Give it some sweeter add-ins like dried fruit and top it with sugar and cinnamon before sliding into the oven to get a nice, sugary crust that makes for delicious dessert or even french toast.

And there is hardly ever a time that I take it along somewhere to share it that I don't get asked for the recipe.  Now, I don't mind sharing.  But how 'bout...as a gesture during the holiday season...putting together a little "kit" and giving it as a gift?  You do all the heavy work (uuuuhhhhh...measuring) and they get the magical smell of yeast and hops perfuming their kitchen.  Totally worth it.  I mean, I'm thrilled when I receive a homemade gift...something from the heart.

The basic recipe is open to so many interpretations and flavor-additions, as well.  You (or they) can personalize their loaves to their mood.  And my mood?  Apples.  Apples and Cheddar, actually.  This loaf would be right at home alongside a bowl of Cheese Soup.  Or even bean soup.  Oh, with sausage! Mmmm...

Apple Cheddar Beer Bread (+ All-in-One Beer Bread Kit )

How to make an all-in-one beer bread kit, and some suggested add-ins for baking up a comforting loaf of bread.

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Keywords: bake bread beer flour American

Ingredients (1 loaf)

• 2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ c. white whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. fine sea salt
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• add-ins (optional- see below)
• 12 oz. beer, at room temp.
• 1 egg beaten w/ 2 Tbs. water

Apple Cheddar Beer Bread (add-ins):

• 1 smallish apple, diced small (peeled, if you wish...to yield ~1 c.)
• 1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tsp. minced, dried onion
• ~6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and chopped a bit

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F. Generously grease a loaf pan.

Combine flours, sugar, salt, and baking powder (as well as any add-ins, if you're using them) in large bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined, it will be thick. Dump the dough/batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Brush the egg wash generously over the top of the loaf. Slide into preheated oven and bake until the top of the loaf is golden, ~45 mins.

Set pan on a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Jiggle bread a bit to make sure that it is loose from the bottom and edges of the pan, then turn it out and finish cooling on the wire rack. Delicious warm or at room temperature.

To make an All-in-One Beer Bread Kit:

Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl (no add-ins) until well combined. Transfer to a quart-sized zippered baggie. Place the mix into a new loaf pan and add a 12 oz. bottle of beer. Write out the instructions on a note card (or something fancier, if you wish), including a few "add-in" suggestions.

If you like, tuck a new kitchen towel underneath for color and tie the whole thing off with some raffia or ribbon.  If you're feeling especially ambitious, you can even break out that cello-wrap stuff and wrap the whole thing up in a pretty little package.

Suggested add-ins for beer bread:

-Apple Cheddar (see above)

-Cheddar & Sage (1 c. shredded sharp cheddar + handful chopped fresh sage)

-Garlic & Herb (1 tsp. garlic powder + 3 tsp. dried, mixed herbs or 2 minced garlic cloves + 3 Tbs. mixed chopped fresh herbs)

-Feta & Herb (4 oz. crumbled feta + 2 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano or rosemary)

-Italian (½ c. freshly grated Parmesan + 2 cloves minced garlic + 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning)

-Onion (½ c. finely sliced green onions)
-Goat Cheese & Sundried Tomato (4 oz. crumbled goat cheese + ½ c. finely diced sundried tomatoes)

SO MANY MORE - use your imagination

adapted from Farmgirl Fare

Oatmeal Brown Ale Rolls (or Bread)

It's true.  I am completely and utterly ADDICTED to this bread.  Not only is the flavor out of this world...nutty, wheaty, complex. They're soft and springy...yet toothsome. It is also the perfect...no, let me put that another way PERFECT! texture.  Perfect.  I first tried it in roll form.  This is how I originally saw them over at Flour Dusted. 

First off, I adore Newcastle...and she incorporated that into her recipe.  Second, I love bread.  So...pretty much...it doesn't get any better than this for me.  Fact is, the whole family loved them.  I called my mom the minute they came out of the oven and informed her of the upcoming addition to all future holiday tables.  Or non-holiday tables.  I don't care.  I'll put them in a pretty basket and set them on the coffee table.  Seriously.  I've made them three times already.  Okay, not three times in roll form.  The first time I tried them in roll form.  The second time I divided the dough into two and made free-form loaves.  The third time I divided it in two and made loaves in loaf pans.  You just cannot go wrong with this bread.  

I love the little rolls because you get a bite of the crisp, gorgeous crust in every mouthful.  But. I love the loaves because they slice up without crumbling or breaking and are fantastic sandwich bread or toasting bread.  With nut butter slathered on top...don't get me started.  Whoda thunk it?  That this dough would wrap its heady arms around me and make me a monogamous woman.  Okay, I suppose that's going a bit far.  I'm still a breadie...and my eyes and hands and mouth will wander.  But this, my friends, this is my go-to dough from here on out.