Peggy Deland has been a freelance writer and editor since 2007. Her articles appear on a variety of websites, including Life Unplugged, ConsumerSearch and AnswerBag. Her writing focuses on areas of personal and professional expertise, including health, aviculture, science, green living and travel.
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Beer and FoodSUPPLIES
- 12 oz. can or bottle of room temperature beer
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp. dark brown sugar or honey
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. vital wheat gluten (optional)
- 1 packet or 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
Overview
Beer bread is usually made with baking powder, but this won't work in a bread machine. Instead, you'll need to use a beer bread recipe that calls for yeast. Beer bread made with yeast has a lighter, fluffier texture that some people prefer, but if you want dense-textured beer bread, substitute half of the flour for whole wheat flour. This recipe makes a standard 1 1/2 lb. loaf of bread.
Step 1
Open the beer and pour it into a bowl. Whisk to get out as much of the carbonation as possible.
Step 2
Pour the flat beer into the "bread bucket" in your bread machine. Add the oil, flour, salt, brown sugar or honey, wheat gluten and yeast. You can add the dry ingredients in any order, and there's no need to stir.
Step 3
Set the bread machine to run on the "basic" or "white bread" cycle.
Step 4
Serve hot with butter, hollow out the loaf to make a bread bowl or slice thinly for sandwiches.
TIPS AND WARNINGS
- TIP : Strong dark beer usually makes the best beer bread, but experiment with different brands and styles of beer to find your favorite. You can even make cider bread using this recipe; substitute hard apple cider for the beer.
For an extra-soft crust, brush the entire loaf with butter while still hot and cover with plastic wrap while it cools.
Pour in one or more of these extra ingredients after the first kneading cycle is complete: 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar, 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup finely chopped onions, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries, 1 tbsp. fresh or 1 tsp. dried dill, or 1 tsp. caraway seeds.
