Sunday, March 4, 2012

The Bread for the Butter...

So lately my friends have been really into the home-party businesses whether it be hosting one or becoming a consultant. I went to a food party (I won't mention the name but I am sure a couple people can figure it out) and they had the most delicious beer bread mix. I bought a box that included three mixes for about 15 bucks. I made it when my order came in and it was just as delicious as I remembered. As I was eating it though, I thought that there has to be a recipe out there that is similar to this and that would cost a fraction of the price. With the help of advice from friends, I got a generic beer bread recipe off of one of the big recipe sites. But then I thought, what could I do to make this better?? So here is what I came up with:


The generic recipe calls for:
  • 3 cups self rising flour
  • 3 Tbsp white sugar
  • 12 oz can or bottle of beer 
Here are my additions:
  • 1 cup shredded cheese ( I used a three cheese blend but any kind would work)
  • 3 Tbsp melted butter
  • 1/2 tsp seasoning blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder (Here is what I make)

I mixed together the flour, sugar, and added the beer (after I took a sip). It started to get hard to stir so I just used my hands to mix it. In a separate bowl, I added just a little (about a Tbsp) of flour to the cheese, and coated it. This will help the cheese from going to the bottom (or so I was told). When your dough is well mixed, place it in a greased 9x5 loaf pan. I used one I took from my grandmother's house. I have really nice new ones but there is just something about baking bread in the same pan that she used when I grew up. Anyhoo, place the dough in that and spread it out evenly. Make sure you get it all down in the corners. Mix the melted butter and the seasoning in a separate bowl. Pour this over top the bread dough.
I then cooked the bread for 50 minutes in a 350 degree oven. After the fifty minutes of my house smelling amazing, my creation was done! As soon as it came out I used a knife to loosed the sides, took it out and put it on a rack to cool. It didn't stay on the rack long though because there is nothing more delicious than bread right out of the oven.  The middle is very soft and the outside had a crustiness that is great. The seasoning on the top is very light, but it definitely adds to the flavor.

Happy baking!!