I made this for Easter at Jeff's family's and it was a big hit. As a rule, I only make this when I can share it otherwise I probably won't stop until it's all gone. Don't say I didn't warn you.
This tastes much like a beer bread mix sold by Tastefully Simple, but you don't have to have the special mix on hand to make this!
In a large mixing bowl, combine:
3 cups of unbleached flour
1/3 cup white sugar
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. garlic powder (optional, but it adds a nice savory touch to the sweet bread)
Blend all the dry ingredients with a spoon until fully incorporated. Now, add one can of beer of you choice. I actually prefer to use light-style beers, such as Miller Lite to impart only a mild flavor. Stir together GENTLY with a spoon until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Leave it rise IN THE MIXING BOWL for 30 minutes. This develops the gluten and will make the bread nice and spongy.
While you're waiting for the dough to rest, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a regular size bread pan by spraying non-stick coating on the pan, then dusting it gently with some white flour. I do this even though my pan is non-stick, as an insurance.
When the 30 minutes is up, add the batter to the bread pan. On top of the dough, place three pats of butter, about a tablespoon in size each. To be honest, I use salted butter for this. The butter is a must. It will make the top crunchy and a touch salty. Place it in the oven and don't open the oven door until about 40 minutes has passed. Give it a check. The top should be just barely starting to brown at this point. It took an additional 10 minutes in my oven, bringing the bake time to about 50 minutes. The top is about half browned when the bread is done.
The toasted almond honey butter is a wonderful accompaniment to this already scrumptious bread. Start with two sticks of ROOM TEMPERATURE butter (unsalted or salted, your choice). Loosely chop about 1/4 cup of slivered almonds into smaller pieces. Spray a pan with nonstick cooking spray and put it over medium high heat. Add the almonds. Stir constantly. When the start to brown, keep stirring and do not leave the pan unattended. Once they start to brown, they can't be in the pan long or they'll burn. Keep stirring them so they toast evenly.
Set the almonds aside to cool when they're a medium brown color. Once they're cooled down to room temperature, add them to the butter. Squeeze in about 3 tablespoons of honey. Blend all the ingredients together until well-incorporated. Give it a taste. You may wish to add another tablespoon or two of honey. It's up to you.
This is one of my favorite appetizers, I guarantee it to be a crowd-pleaser!
This tastes much like a beer bread mix sold by Tastefully Simple, but you don't have to have the special mix on hand to make this!
In a large mixing bowl, combine:
3 cups of unbleached flour
1/3 cup white sugar
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. garlic powder (optional, but it adds a nice savory touch to the sweet bread)
Blend all the dry ingredients with a spoon until fully incorporated. Now, add one can of beer of you choice. I actually prefer to use light-style beers, such as Miller Lite to impart only a mild flavor. Stir together GENTLY with a spoon until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Leave it rise IN THE MIXING BOWL for 30 minutes. This develops the gluten and will make the bread nice and spongy.
While you're waiting for the dough to rest, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a regular size bread pan by spraying non-stick coating on the pan, then dusting it gently with some white flour. I do this even though my pan is non-stick, as an insurance.
When the 30 minutes is up, add the batter to the bread pan. On top of the dough, place three pats of butter, about a tablespoon in size each. To be honest, I use salted butter for this. The butter is a must. It will make the top crunchy and a touch salty. Place it in the oven and don't open the oven door until about 40 minutes has passed. Give it a check. The top should be just barely starting to brown at this point. It took an additional 10 minutes in my oven, bringing the bake time to about 50 minutes. The top is about half browned when the bread is done.
The toasted almond honey butter is a wonderful accompaniment to this already scrumptious bread. Start with two sticks of ROOM TEMPERATURE butter (unsalted or salted, your choice). Loosely chop about 1/4 cup of slivered almonds into smaller pieces. Spray a pan with nonstick cooking spray and put it over medium high heat. Add the almonds. Stir constantly. When the start to brown, keep stirring and do not leave the pan unattended. Once they start to brown, they can't be in the pan long or they'll burn. Keep stirring them so they toast evenly.
Set the almonds aside to cool when they're a medium brown color. Once they're cooled down to room temperature, add them to the butter. Squeeze in about 3 tablespoons of honey. Blend all the ingredients together until well-incorporated. Give it a taste. You may wish to add another tablespoon or two of honey. It's up to you.
This is one of my favorite appetizers, I guarantee it to be a crowd-pleaser!
I'm totally going to bake more after I move, you're quite inspiring
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