Warm Buttery Beer Bread

by | Jan 8, 2012 | Beer, Bread, Dutch Oven Cooking, Recipes

Warm buttery beer bread

In November my sister Nancy and I participated in the Alameda County CattleWomen’s Dutch Oven Gathering. The bread that won the bread category was a beer bread made by the Alameda County CattleWomen’s president, Allison Batteate. Her beer bread was some of the best bread I have ever tasted. I made the bread at our New Year’s Day get together at the party barn and it was a hit. Besides being delicious, I think this bread has to be some of the easiest to make. There are only five ingredients in the bread and the hands on preparation time is less than 10 minutes.  In addition to baking it outside in a Dutch oven, it can also be baked in the kitchen in your conventional oven.

There are only five ingredients in the beer bread

The blob of beer bread dough before it has risen for 20 minutes

Preparing the coals

The bread is baking on the right

Drizzling the bread with butter while it’s baking

Beer Bread

– Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 3 cups self-rising flour
  • 3 – 5 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 can or bottle of beer (warmed)
  • 1/4 cup melted butter

Directions

Warm a well oiled 10” Dutch oven. Mix the dry ingredients together. (You did use self-rising flour, right?) Add the warm beer and mix until all of the dry ingredients are mixed in with the wet ingredients. The batter will be sticky. Lob the dough into the middle of the Dutch oven. Cover and allow to rise for 20 minutes. Place 7 coals under the Dutch oven and 14 coals on top. Drizzle melted butter over the top every 15 minutes while cooking. Rotate the lid every 15 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the bottom coals. Continue cooking with the 14 coals on top of the oven. The total cooking time is about 1 hour. The bread is done when the top is golden and the bread sounds hollow when patted.

Directions for baking in a conventional oven:  Mix the dough according to directions above. Place the dough in a warm well oiled 10″ skillet or Dutch oven. Cover and allow to rise for 20 minutes. While the bread is rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Drizzle some melted butter over the top every 15 minutes while the bread is baking.  I have found the baking time in my oven is about 45 minutes, which is about 15 minutes less than over the coals in a Dutch oven.

“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.” ~Robert Browning

~merry~