You Got Beer, You Got Bread!

I wanted an accompaniment for my dinner tonight that would be quick to fix.  I already had the oven going for a roast, so I thought,"how about bread", but then I realized I didn't have time to rise a loaf. Even with my quickest yeast bread recipe, it takes and hour and a half, start to finish (that includes using a bred maker!).  I thought maybe a quick bread.  We had biscuits for breakfast, so again for dinner would be no fun, but all the recipes I had were for muffins, pancakes, fruit breads, none of which appealed. Then I remembered a recipe I used many years ago for beer bread. It was ok, but was very salty.  I thought I would try one more time, but try to eliminate some of the sodium. I found a recipe online that did the trick.  I did have to make a few changes to it though, due to happy happenstance. 

I asked my hubby for a bottle of beer from the beer fridge.  I told him any old one would do.  Sometimes, when we have parties, someone might bring a beer that is not "popular", so to speak, and it sits in the beer fridge for a while. Instead, he brought me a Guinness Black Stout.  I commented that the beer was probably too nice for the bread, and secretly worried it would be too bitter for the bread. But worrying I would hurt his feelings, I took the beer with a smile on my face. So glad I did! After baking, when we tasted it, it tasted like banana bread!! Made me think, "hmmmm, nuts might work in this...." then our friend tried some and said, it would taste even better with a crumb topping. Again, "hmmmm."  So, here my friends is the result:

Stout Beer Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3 C Flour

3 t Baking Powder

1 t Salt

1/4 C Flour 

1 Bottle Stout Beer

1/4 C shortening

1/4 C Finely Chopped Nuts

1/4 C Butter/Margarine

1/4 C Brown Sugar

1/4 C Flour

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in shortening.  Add beer and nuts.
Mix until just combined. Pour into greased loaf pan.
In a smaller bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter.

Crumble over loaf.
Bake 45-60 min until toothpick comes out clean from center of bread.

Let sit for 30 min. before slicing.