Honey Butter Beer Bread

[Amethyst]

Honey Butter Beer Bread

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients:

Honey Butter:

1/4 cup (67 g) salted butter
3 Tablespoons honey

For the dough:

3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
12 oz (355 ml) beer
4 Tablespoons honey butter, from above

For topping before baking:

2 Tablespoons honey butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F (non-convection/not fan-assisted). Have ready a 4×10-inch or 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch metal loaf pan. (For glass loaf pans, reduce the oven temperature to 350F.)

Make the honey butter by melting together the honey and butter in the microwave or a small saucepan, just until the butter melts.

Spoon 2 Tablespoons of the honey butter mixture into the loaf pan and use a pastry brush to brush the bottom and sides of the pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Pour in about 1/2 of the beer, together with 4 Tablespoons of the honey butter mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir together. Begin adding more of the beer, a bit at a time, stirring as you add, until the dough is just moistened and there is no dry flour visible. You may not need quite all of the beer.

Spoon the dough into the prepared loaf pan and spread to fill the pan, slightly mounding in the centre.

Drizzle the remaining 2 Tablespoons of honey butter over the top of the loaf.

Tip! If you have a bench scraper, spray the bench scraper with cooking spray (or brush with melted butter) then insert it into the centre of the loaf lengthwise, pressing it into the loaf about 3/4-1 inch. This will create a controlled crack in the loaf as it bakes and makes for a prettier loaf.

Place the loaf pan on top of a baking sheet (to catch any butter bubble-overs if necessary).

Place into the oven on top of the baking sheet and bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean, 45-50 minutes for a 4×10 loaf pan or 50-60 minutes for an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around the outside of the loaf and remove it to a wire rack to cool.

Serve warm with butter. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes:

You can use any beer, but I find a lighter lager, ale or pilsner beer works nicely. I used Coors Light here, as it was what was in the fridge.

If you’d like, you could sprinkle a little finishing salt (such as Maldon’s) on top of the loaf when it comes out of the oven.

Ingredients and substitutions:

A few notes about the key ingredients …

Beer – It wouldn’t be beer bread without beer! While you can technically use any beer, for the best results, I like to go with a lighter lager, ale, or pilsner beer. I’ve used Coors Light here, just because it was in the house. The flavor was perfect. Not too beery, so it would appeal to all.

Honey – Any liquid honey will work here, but I would avoid a heavily fragrant honey, which might not blend well with the beer flavor.

Salt – Don’t skimp on the salt. It sounds like a lot, and there may be a temptation to cut it back a bit, but salt is really needed for flavor in this type of quick bread. It also brings a nice balance to the sweetness of the honey.

You can use either a 4×10-inch loaf pan (that’s what I used here) or an 8 1/2 or 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. The baking time will be a bit longer for the 8×4 loaf pan.

As noted above, don’t reduce the salt as it is needed in this type of quick bred to really bring the flavours together. If you like, you can also sprinkle a little finishing salt on the loaf when it comes out of the oven.

Beer bread is much like biscuits in that the amount of beer you add to the flour mixture will vary a bit, so you may not need to add the entire amount specified. Judge by the moistness of the dough.

Storing and freezing:

Beer bread is best enjoyed on the day it is baked and is especially nice enjoyed warm with butter. It can be made earlier in the day and reheated. Simply loosely wrap in foil and pop into a 350F oven for 8-10 minutes to warm it up.

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days.

You can freeze beer bread well-wrapped for up to 3 months.

Nutritional Facts:

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 177kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 324mg, Potassium: 147mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 119IU, Vitamin C: 0.03mg, Calcium: 51mg, Iron: 2mg

Recipe courtesy of Seasons and Suppers.ca