There’s nothing like freshly baked homemade bread. Sometimes you don’t have the time, patience, or motivation, though, to work all day with yeast-based dough. That’s why quick-breads are wonderful. You can get the “dough” into the oven in a matter of minutes. All you have to do is wait for the bread to bake and then cool. Which is slightly tortuous in itself. Especially with this bread.
Somehow when I had a loaf of this bread baking in the oven it made my house smell like a combination of bread, macaroni and cheese, and beer. Which, if you think about it, is the essence of this recipe. Bread loaded up with beer and cheese. How great is that?
Somebody wants a slice of this tasty bread! Chewie, our giant Yorkie puppy, managed to steal the limelight!
Recipe Rundown
Taste: Cheesy with just the right amount of savory, grainy beer flavor.
Texture: The inside of the bread is moist and the outside is slightly crunchy like beer batter.
Ease: Insanely easy. The baking and cooling times are long but prep time is seriously 5 minutes.
Appearance: I love the cheese you can see on the crusts of this bread.
Pros: Super easy, tasty, and perfect for football season.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Yes.
Yield: Serves 10
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 1/4 cups light-bodied beer
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, divided
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl combine the flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper. Stir in the beer and 4 tablespoons of the butter. Be careful not to overmix.
Place the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface. Brush lightly with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the loaf pan halfway through baking.
Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour before serving.
From the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook
