The Internet's Most Popular Beer Bread Recipe

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This post really should begin with a trumpet blast or drum roll. According to Google.com the recipe for this humble hearty bread is the most popular in the world. The recipe, found here,  was posted by Gerald Norman on Food.com where it has been reviewed by over 600 amateur and professional cooks. A bread quite similar to this one is also featured in Rebecca Rather’s cookbook, The Pastry Queen. The bread is, of course, delicious, but what makes this version of the loaf so singular, is the ease with which it comes together. No special equipment is required to make it, and if you have a bowl, a wooden spoon and a loaf pan you've darn near got yourself a loaf of bread. People tend to complicate simple things, so as you read reviews you'll find treatise-like discussions of what types of beer or flour should be used. Heed them only if you choose. Truth be told, any and all work well, so choose your favorite. I use whatever I have on hand, sometimes that's imported and sometimes it's one of our more humble domestic brews. While I'm presenting a bare bones version of the recipe, finely grated cheese, chives or chili peppers can also be added to the mix. The bread is mildly sweet and hoppy and has a crust that is memorable. Its color and final flavor will depend on the type of beer you use. The loaf is ridiculously easy to make and I think you'll enjoy it as a sometime replacement for corn bread. I also thought it would be the perfect way to introduce a series of ridiculously easy, but simply scrumptious dishes that I'll be featuring this coming week. Here's how the beer bread is made.

Beer Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Gerald Norman courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients:
3 cups flour (sifted before measuring and spooned into cup after sifting)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 (12-oz.) can beer
6 tablespoons melted butter

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 loaf pan. Set aside.
2) Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a large bowl. Add beer and mix just until combined. Spoon mounds of dough into prepared pan. Do not level top. Pour melted butter over dough. Do not stir or poke. Bake in middle of oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven and place pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan and serve while still warm. Yield: 1 loaf.

One Year Ago Today: Mulligatawny

Two Years Ago Today:  Orzo and Rice Pilaf with Pignoli and Parmesan Cheese

Three Years Ago Today: Roasted Red Pepper and Sun-Dried Tomato Spread

Bratwurst with Beer and Cabbage

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There was a period of years, actually decades, when I refused to let sausage of any type cross my lips. I blame that on that on my ill-spent childhood and a completely unplanned encounter with alcohol when I was all of 4 years old. The neighbors had all come together at our house to celebrate V-J Day and my parents were serving a sweet ceremonial-type wine that was commonly offered to guests back in the day. There was an accident in front of the house and they all trooped out to see what was going on. I had been eying their glasses all evening and convinced they were drinking grape juice, proceeded to down every glass in the room. Loved it! At least initially. Mom didn't, but there wasn't much she could do with the house full of guests. So, while glaring at me, she went about her business and readied a spread that included salads and an assortment of grilled sausage and hot dogs. Though I was by this time feeling decidedly unwell, I dared not refuse the hot dog I had been given. I managed to down two or three bites before Bacchus exacted his revenge. It would be another 40 years before I could swallow any type of bun-encased sausage and I still, to this day, haven't had another glass of sweet wine. Now, that bit of my history is what makes today's recipe so unusual. I actually made bratwurst this week and shared it with company, albeit on a beach. I used a recipe that was developed by Emeril LaGasse and I was really pleased with the result. Because we were also feeding children, I used a non-alcoholic beer to cook the sausage and make the cabbage topper. I used O'Doul's Amber, which I often use for cooking when I want the flavor of hops without the bitterness. It is hard to spoil really good bratwurst unless it is overcooked, but the toppings used to smother it can often be problematic. That is not the case here. This would be a wonderful dish for game day or any male gathering, so I'm passing the recipe on to you. Here's how this version of bratwurst with beer and cabbage is made. I really think you'll be pleased.

Bratwurst with Beer and Cabbage...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Emeril LaGasse

Ingredients:
8 links of fresh bratwurst
3 (12-ounce) bottles of beer
8 ounces bacon, chopped
2 cups julienned onions
Freshly ground black pepper
1 small head of cabbage, cored and shredded
Salt
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/4 cup whole grain mustard
8 egg hot-dog buns

Directions:
1) Preheat grill. Place beer in a saucepan, over medium heat. Bring liquid to a boil. Add sausages and cook for 10 minutes. Remove sausages from liquid, but reserve liquid. Set sausages aside.
2) Render bacon in a large saute pan set over medium heat, until crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove bacon and set aside. Discard all bacon fat except for 1/4 cup. Place 1/4 cup of fat back into pan and add onions. Season with black pepper. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender. Add cabbage. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to saute for 4 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Stir in garlic, mustard and 2 cups of cooking liquid from sausages. Bring liquid to a simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Re-season with salt and pepper. Place sausages on grill and cook for 2 minutes on each side. To serve, place sausages between each bun. Top each sausage with some of the smothered cabbage. Yield: 8 servings.

Cook's Note: Sausages can also cooked in a grill pan on top of stove.









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Two Years Ago Today: Julia Child's English Muffins

Texas-Style Gnarled Beer Bread and Other Good Things from Austin

Gnarled Beer Bread



My Texas Grandsons



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...One of the wonders of Texas cooking is beer bread. Texans eat it with barbecue and chili and other meals where cornbread might appropriately be served. It has a distinctive flavor and a gnarled appearance that's formed by dropping spoonfuls of a simple beer batter into copious quantities of melted butter prior to baking. The butter bubbles up through the bread as it cooks and forms craters of dough that many think resemble monkey bread. While I slice the bread for guests, I must admit that we pull off chunks of it when there is just family at the table. While I'm presenting a bare bones version of the recipe, finely grated cheese, chives or chili peppers can be added. Don't stint on the quality or flavor of the beer you use in this recipe. It is, after all, beer bread. Stout is too strong for my taste, but I love to use Draught Guinness or a dark beer when I make it. This is ridiculously easy to make and I think you'll enjoy it as a sometime replacement for corn bread. If you have leftovers toast or warm them to serve. Here's the recipe.

Texas-Style Gnarled Beer Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite and Rebecca Rather's Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe


Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 (12-oz.) bottle good beer or ale
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2) Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in beer. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Do not over mix. The dough will be thick, heavy and very sticky. Pour half of melted butter into a loaf pan. Spoon clumps of dough into pan. Pour remaining half of butter on top of dough.
3) Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown. Top of loaf will be gnarled. Remove from pan and serve hot. Yield: 1 loaf or 10 servings.

Potato Gratin a la Flamande

Flemish cuisine has a split personality. It's part French and part Belgian. The food is delicious trencherman fare and the regional drink is beer. Parisian's cook with wine, the Flemish prefer beer. While the food of Flanders and Picardy lacks the finesse of other regions, it's not without sophistication and it's layered flavors are delicious. The bitter aftertaste that's ascribed to much of the regions cooking is really due to a poor choice of beer. In an effort to make a perfect carbonnarde, I've tested lots of beer. I discovered one that's perfect for cooking. It's O'Doul's Amber Non-Alcoholic Brew; it can be found everywhere for centimes on the dollar and, because it's non-alcoholic, it can be used by folks who might normally have to bypass a recipe because of its alcohol content. Beer is an important part of today's recipe. It adds a distinct flavor to the potatoes. I define a potato gratin as scalloped potatoes made without milk and I think I'm close to being correct. Today's potatoes are flavored with flat beer and a little butter, so we're going to call it a gratin. It's less rich and, I think more flavorful, than old-fashioned scalloped potatoes. Men love this.

Potato Gratin a la Flamande

Ingredients:
1 8-ounce yellow onion, halved, then finely sliced
1-1/2 pounds potatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup flat beer (i.e. O'Doul's Amber Non-Alcoholic Brew)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt
Black pepper, coarsely ground
Optional garnish: chopped parsley

Directions:
1) Preheat oven at 425F. Spray bottom and sides of a deep baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2) Alternate layers of onions and potatoes in casserole. First layer should be onions, last layer should be potatoes. Lightly salt and pepper layers as their built.
3) Combine beer and brown sugar in a small bowl. Pour over potatoes. Dot top of potatoes with butter.
4) Cover dish and place in oven. After 10 minutes reduce oven thermostat to 375 degrees F. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes longer. Remove cover, pour cream over potatoes and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes longer. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley if using. Yield: 4 servings.

I'm sending this entry to Cathy at Noble Pig for the May Potato Ho Down.