Cheddar Beer Bread

This is probably the easiest loaf of bread that you will ever make! We’re just home from vacation and I’m not really in the cooking mood yet, so dinner at our home has been pretty simple lately. We have some pantry staples that we are working our way through, and I’ll admit it, sometimes that gets a little dull. One night I knew I would be making some soup, and I wanted to make something to go with it. This bread made the perfect accompaniment.

What first interested me about this recipe was all of the variations. You can use any type of beer, and type of herbs, and even change up what type of cheese you use. I used aged white cheddar since I had some of that left from another recipe. We had Guinness in the fridge so I used that. I have to say that Guinness wouldn’t normally be my first choice, as it’s such a strong flavor. I’d rather used a lager or something, but, again, it’s what I had. I used Italian herbs for my seasoning, as that’s pretty much what I use in everything I cook!

This was so quick to make and it smelled so great when it came out of the oven. You could brush the top of the loaf with egg wash, but that would give it a shinier top. My load looks rustic and that seemed right. I could really taste the Guinness in the bread, but I couldn’t taste the cheese at all. So trying this with another type of beer would yield very different results. It was great paired with the soup and made a kind of plain dinner a little more interesting.

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
12 ounces beer

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8-inch loaf pan.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, herbs, and cheddar in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in the beer and mix just until combined. The batter will be thick.

Spread in the prepared loaf pan. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe from Farmgirl Fare