Beer Bread

Two things I love in this world are beer and bread.  Last summer, I saw someone mention beer bread and basically had a where-has-this-been-all-my-life moment.  After looking through quite a few recipes that repeatedly called for all-purpose flour, I decided to skip the salt and baking powder and make this bread with less ingredients.  So I came up with my own little recipe that is as tasty as it is easy.  Not to mention, I never use self-rising flour and was happy to have an excuse to use some up!

Simple Beer Bread Recipe
(yields 1 large loaf)

3 cups self-rising flour, sifted
1 (12 ounce) bottle of beer, any type
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons melted butter

1) Preheat oven to 375.

2) Mix together sifted flour, beer, and brown sugar until well incorporated. Do not over mix.

3) Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  A few minutes before the bread is done, remove from oven and brush with melted butter for a nice, golden brown top. Continue baking until golden brown and cooked through.

Any beer will do!  This is what we had in the fridge.

Why yes that does look like a science experiment.  

I used two smaller loaf pans instead of one regular sized because that's all I had available.

I served this with chicken and rice soup for dinner earlier this week.  I, sadly, made the mistake of leaving the bread on the table with my husband and our two dinner guests while I went to the kitchen...needless to say, I only got one small slice.  Moral of the story: Don't let this bread out of your sight if you want a chance to eat it.