A Study in Beer Bread

I don't like to cook much before Thanksgiving, so I decided to make some beer bread for dinner. I was cleaning out the fridge to make room for anticipated turkey leftovers, and discovered two bottles of non-alcoholic beer that were lurking the back. So, when life hands you beer, make beer bread! I found a new recipe, and decided to use the new one and the old recipe and decide which tasted better. A "study" in beer bread if you will.

Sweet Beer Bread (old recipe)

• 3 c. self-rising flour (you can make your own... I'll explain below)
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 bottle beer
• 1/4 c. butter, melted

Stir together the flour, sugar and beer. Pour into a greased bread pan. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Pour melted butter over the top and bake for another 10 minutes.

Quick Fix Beer Bread (new recipe) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robin-miller/quick-fix-beer-bread-recipe/index.html

• 2 1/4 c. flour
• 3 T sugar
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 bottle beer
• 2 T olive oil

Mix everything together until blended. Pour into bread pan and bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

This is the inside of the Quick Fix bread. It has the texture of corn bread sort of.

This is the inside of the Sweet Beer Bread. It has a dense, chewy texture.

To make your own self-rising flour, it goes like this...

1 c. flour + 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder + 1/2 tsp. salt

I'm not sure how you are supposed to do it, but I put the baking powder and salt in the measuring cup first and then added enough flour to make it a cup.

The Verdict:

Well, I wasn't at all surprised that I liked the original recipe better. It has half a stick of butter. Enough said. The second wasn't bad, just different. I used it to make grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for dinner. (I used regular bread for the kids.) Bottom line... make beer bread and spinach dip to bring to a party and everyone will think you're awesome... just don't tell them how easy it was.

There are a lot of beer bread recipes and millions of things you can add to it, like cheese, pepperoni, garlic, etc. You can also use any type of carbonated beverage, although you probably want to omit the sugar if you're using Mountain Dew. Just a thought...