girlichef: All-in-One Beer Bread Kit {#SundaySupper} + Apple Cheddar Beer Bread

There is almost no bread in the world that is easier to make than beer bread. No joke. Now, I'm not talking the yeasted variety, though that's honestly not that much trickier, I'm talking the quick bread. If you can measure, stir, and open a bottle of beer, you're golden.

Even simpler? Eating it.

It's an all-purpose sort of loaf. Toast up a fat slice and slather it with butter for breakfast. Set the loaf out to eat alongside a pot of steaming soup. Give it some sweeter add-ins like dried fruit and top it with sugar and cinnamon before sliding into the oven to get a nice, sugary crust that makes for delicious dessert or even french toast.

And there is hardly ever a time that I take it along somewhere to share it that I don't get asked for the recipe. Now, I don't mind sharing. But how 'bout...as a gesture during the holiday season...putting together a little "kit" and giving it as a gift? You do all the heavy work (uuuuhhhhh...measuring) and they get the magical smell of yeast and hops perfuming their kitchen. Totally worth it. I mean, I'm thrilled when I receive a homemade gift...something from the heart.

The basic recipe is open to so many interpretations and flavor-additions, as well. You (or they) can personalize their loaves to their mood. And my mood? Apples. Apples and Cheddar, actually. This loaf would be right at home alongside a bowl of Cheese Soup. Or even bean soup. Oh, with sausage! Mmmm...

Apple Cheddar Beer Bread (+ All-in-One Beer Bread Kit )

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Keywords: bake bread beer flour American

Ingredients (1 loaf)

2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour
½ c. white whole wheat flour
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 Tbs. baking powder
add-ins (optional- see below)
12 oz. beer, at room temp.
1 egg beaten w/ 2 Tbs. water

Apple Cheddar Beer Bread (add-ins):

1 smallish apple, diced small (peeled, if you wish...to yield ~1 c.)
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp. minced, dried onion
~6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and chopped a bit

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F. Generously grease a loaf pan.

Combine flours, sugar, salt, and baking powder (as well as any add-ins, if you're using them) in large bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined, it will be thick. Dump the dough/batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Brush the egg wash generously over the top of the loaf. Slide into preheated oven and bake until the top of the loaf is golden, ~45 mins.

Set pan on a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Jiggle bread a bit to make sure that it is loose from the bottom and edges of the pan, then turn it out and finish cooling on the wire rack. Delicious warm or at room temperature.

To make an All-in-One Beer Bread Kit:

Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl (no add-ins) until well combined. Transfer to a quart-sized zippered baggie. Place the mix into a new loaf pan and add a 12 oz. bottle of beer. Write out the instructions on a note card (or something fancier, if you wish), including a few "add-in" suggestions.

If you like, tuck a new kitchen towel underneath for color and tie the whole thing off with some raffia or ribbon. If you're feeling especially ambitious, you can even break out that cello-wrap stuff and wrap the whole thing up in a pretty little package.

Suggested add-ins for beer bread:

-Apple Cheddar (see above)

-Cheddar & Sage (1 c. shredded sharp cheddar + handful chopped fresh sage)

-Garlic & Herb (1 tsp. garlic powder + 3 tsp. dried, mixed herbs or 2 minced garlic cloves + 3 Tbs. mixed chopped fresh herbs)

-Feta & Herb (4 oz. crumbled feta + 2 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano or rosemary)

-Italian (½ c. freshly grated Parmesan + 2 cloves minced garlic + 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning)

-Onion (½ c. finely sliced green onions)
-Goat Cheese & Sundried Tomato (4 oz. crumbled goat cheese + ½ c. finely diced sundried tomatoes)

SO MANY MORE - use your imagination

adapted from Farmgirl Fare

With thoughts of the holidays are closing in, the #SundaySupper gang is bringing you Gifts from the Kitchen this week, hosted by Susan from The Wimpy Vegetarian. Check out all of the amazing homemade gift ideas below, I know you'll find a lot of inspiration.

Breads/Breakfast

Pumpkin Biscoff Bread – Dinners, Dishes, and Dessert
All-in-One Beer Bread Kit – girlichef
Banana Coconut Coffee Cake with Macadamia Nut Streusel – The Lovely Pantry
Pancake Mix With Apple Cider Syrup and Candied Walnuts – Tora’s Real Food
Cranberry Hootycreeks – Baker Street

Condiments/Ingredients

Apple Butter – Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks
Cranberry Strawberry Jam – The Meltaways
Herb Vinegars – Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Harissa – The Wimpy Vegetarian
Homemade Vanilla Extract – Flour on my Face
Homemade Cherry Extract – Cravings of a Lunatic
Nutella Powder – I Run For Wine
Apricot Pineapple Rum Sauce – Vintage Kitchen Notes
Spiced Cranberry Apricot Almond Chutney – Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
Pumpkin Butter – Family Foodie

Soups and Snacks

A Soup For You – Momma’s Meals
Maple Nut Granola - Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
Sweet and Spicy Curried Nuts – Soni’s Food for Thought
Roasted Spiced Nuts – MrsMamaHen
Sweet and Spicy Pecans – Supper For a Steal
Maple Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars – Cupcakes and Kale Chips
Orange Spiced Chickpeas – Home Cooking Memories
Turtle Pretzels – The Messy Baker

Sweets

Rocky Road Candy – Magnolia Days
Dairyfree Vegan Caramels – Galactosemia in PDX
Peanut Butter Cookies in a Jar – Mama’s Blissful Bites
M&M Cookies in a Jar – Damn Delicious
Monster Cookie Mix in a Jar – What Smells So Good?
Chocolate Chip Cookie Biscotti – Meal Planning Magic
Snickerdoodle Snack Mix – Pippi’s in the Kitchen Again
Butter and Jam Thumbprint Cookies – Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
Peppermint Stick Cookie Truffles - The Weekend Gourmet
Nutella Truffles – Small Wallet Big Appetite
Peanut Cajetas (Peanut Fudge) – Basic and Delicious
Cookie Cutter Fudge – Chocolate Moosey
Pumpkin Roll – Shockingly Delicious
Homemade Chocolates – My Trials in the Kitchen
Hot Chocolate on a Stick – Juanita’s Cocina
Chocolate Toffee “Crack” – Ruffles and Truffles
Holiday Tree Cake – Noshing with the Nolands
Salted Caramel Cookies – Mama Mommy Mom
Fruit and Nut Cookies – In the Kitchen with Audrey and Maurene

Drinks

Applepie Moonshine - My Catholic Kitchen
Holiday Spiced Mocha - Daily Dish Recipes
Homemade Peppermint Mocha Mix - In the Kitchen with KP
Homemade Kahlua - That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Please join us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper. In the evening we will meet at 7pm EST for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat.

All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.

We’d also love to feature your Gifts from the Kitchen on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers, too. So tell me - do you make "kitchen gifts" to give away during the holidays? If so, I'd love to hear what you make, I'm always looking for inspiration. Feel free to leave the link to any in the comments.