Beer Bread

Well, I've taken the dog for a walk and enjoyed the crisp winter air.  Being outside in the cold always makes me want carbs.  A bit of storing up for winter, I guess.  So I made some beer bread.  This is a fairly simple quick bread recipe.  It's a quick bread because you don't need to wait for the bread to rise though the use of yeast.  You use another chemical levener: baking soda.  While there is a little bit of yeast in the beer, the main reaction comes from the baking soda when it comes in contact with the water.

Here's the recipe:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. honey or agave nectar
• 1 bottle (12 ounces) beer
• 4 Tbsp. (half stick) butter, melted (**You can double this if you’d like**)

Method:
(Makes 1 loaf)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9″ x 5″ x 3″ inch loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Using a wooden spoon, stir the beer and honey into the dry ingredients until just mixed.  (I recommend popping your honey in the microwave for a few seconds beforehand to make it easier to stir in!)
Pour half the melted butter into the loaf pan. Then spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter.  (Use a pastry brush to spread it around if you’d like.)
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve immediately.

This first loaf I use Lion's Winter Ale from the Granville Island Brewery in Vancouver.  It's a light ale with a hint of vanilla.  I made another loaf this time with a few substitutions.  I cut back the flour by 1/2 cup and added 1/2 cup of oats, changed the sugar to brown sugar and used a local oatmeal stout.  This resulted in a darker batter, and making the loaf a bit chewier.