I love baking bread in the fall. The heat from the oven coupled with the great smells in the house make it something awesome to do either early in the morning or during a late afternoon nap. One of the meals we chose to make this week was something we’d tried once before and absolutely loved: Beer Bread Grilled Cheese.
The bread is super easy to make. Only a handful of ingredients and a can of beer are hand mixed and plopped into a bread pan and stuffed into the oven for 40 minutes to create a dense and incredibly flavorful loaf which makes the house smell yeasty and warm. I stick to the suggestion to use cheap beer and even usually get Miller High Life just like the recipe uses. While I have tried it in the past with an IPA, the flavor was too bitter and I really didn’t enjoy it all that much. The real key to this one is the 4 tablespoons of melted butter brushed on top while it bakes to add a golden brown and very crusty top which sneaks down the sides and makes the bread seem even more like a meal than it should.
The bread was out of the oven just before we left for swim lessons and was left to cool a bit but not before I got a buttered end piece for myself. The flavor is strong and long lasting and would make this bread irresistible if it weren’t for the fact that it is so heavy and filling you really don’t need much.
Honest Fare has another recipe coupled with their beer bread: Beer and Cheese Sandwich. Coupling the beer bread with a mixture of fontina and cheddar cheeses and topping it with Worchestire caramelized onions and a strong mustard makes for one incredibly tasty sandwich. Thick slices of the bread are spread with strong mustard; The Wife got Grey Poupon’s spicy brown and the onions are cooked down in olive oil, salt/pepper, and some fresh oregano and splashed with Worchestire. The fontina and extra sharp cheddar and added and put back into the pan to crisp up and melt (in this case we used havarti because fontina is stupid expensive for grilled cheese IMO).
As you can see from the collage above, the bread is crispy on the outside but retains its soft and mealy texture inside. The mustard negates some of the sweet from the caramelized onions and the cheese just provides some sharp and creamy flavor which is honestly second to none. If you are into grilled cheese or baked bread, I highly suggest this one for you and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed in any of it.
What’s your favorite bread recipe? Do you make it yourself often? What about cheeses you use for grilled cheese? Have you ever done it with mustard and onions? What other toppings do you like on your grilled cheese and why might you use here? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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October 22nd, 2012 at 8:13 am
Oh dear god, why didn’t I think of this! Yum.
October 22nd, 2012 at 11:11 am
Favorite bread recipe? I have hundreds! I have been enjoying bread baking since I was about 12. Beyond my huge file box of recipes, I have a 500+ cookbook collection…..Over the weekend I made croissants, doughnuts, deli rye (for my home-cured corned beef), and country bread. The kid texted me that he was making English Muffins last night – maybe the passion is in the blood…..
Next on my list is pastry-cream-filled brioche. Just need to find some eaters for them……
October 22nd, 2012 at 11:51 am
Looks wonderful!
October 22nd, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Well played. Looks great.
October 22nd, 2012 at 1:52 pm
sandy, do you have a blog about bread baking? If not, I for one would urge you to start one if at all possible.
October 22nd, 2012 at 2:58 pm
I saw Bill tweet about this on Saturday morning and asked him to deliver me a loaf. Instead he gave me the recipe. With in 5 minutes of getting the recipe, my loaf was in the oven. I used a 16 ounce bottle of bud light, but only used 12 oz. The loaf was done in 40 minutes and was fantastic. My only problem was waiting until noon to finish off the remaining beer.
I may have to give the grilled cheese a try tonight, sounds fantastic.
Also, as Bill stated, the author of the recipe mentioned using “cheap” beer for this recipe, but I almost grabbed a Sam Adams Pumpkin Ale just to see what it would taste like. Maybe next time.
October 22nd, 2012 at 3:16 pm
I’ve started baking bread in the last couple months. I had some big failures this month since my apartment is so cold and the bread doesn’t rise, so I’ve been sticking to quick breads. So I’ll definitely be trying this one this weekend. Or maybe even tonight.
October 22nd, 2012 at 3:53 pm
Ryan,
For the love of all things holy, please tell me you dumped the 4 oz. you had left of that shitty beer into the sink.
lefty
October 22nd, 2012 at 4:49 pm
C & V, thanks….my kid has said the same thing. There are so many of them already out there, though!
Kassie, one secret about bread is that it will even rise in the refrigerator – it will just take longer. On the plus side here is a slower rise will make a more flavorful bread.
October 22nd, 2012 at 7:21 pm
This bread sounds really good and I will have to try it. I have been making a bread that is a lot like this one, but takes it to the next level.
Jalapeno Beer Cheese Bread! YUM!
Here is where I got the recipe:
http://joinuspullupachair.blogspot.com/2010/06/jalapeno-cheese-beer-bread.html
Delicious alone, with soup, making sandwiches – especially grilled cheese – and I am sure there are many more ways to use it that would be awesome!
There is a recipe that is similar on Tasty Kitchen, but I didn’t try that one because it called for pickled jalapenos, which didn’t sound good to me. I guess I could try it with fresh ones, though. Tasty Kitchen is a really interesting website for recipes. They currently are featuring recipes for sweet potato bread and pumpkin spice crepes that are calling out for me to try them.
http://tastykitchen.com/
October 22nd, 2012 at 7:34 pm
I made this one a few times, many years ago:
http://www.food.com/recipe/rock-bottom-brewery-beer-bread-359045
October 22nd, 2012 at 7:36 pm
They served it at the restaurant with this:
http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/05/26/asiago-cheese-dip/
October 22nd, 2012 at 9:08 pm
Even bad beer is needed when family is over in order to take the edge off. Alcohol is alcohol!
October 23rd, 2012 at 9:26 am
Made this last night. The bread was a lot better with PBR than it was the last time I made it, with an IPA. Makes sense, and good to know. Plus, I’d rather drink the leftover PBR than High Life!
The butter crust is awesome, but made it slightly hard to slice the bread thin for sandwiches. The top would crumble off and I’d be left with a fairly small piece of bread.
That said, man, it was a delicious grilled cheese. The onions were indeed awesome and a perfect addition. Will definitely make this again.
Oh and it was delicious cold as well. My kid didn’t eat all of his and so after bedtime, I snacked on what was left on his plate. Still great!
October 23rd, 2012 at 11:09 am
Friday evening I went to see “Not Fade Away” at the film festival, and something in there left me with a powerful hankering for grilled cheese. Have had it three times since. Once with mustard, ham, mix of various cheeses in my fridge, tomatoes, mustard. Once with some grilled nectarine slices, thin slices of red onion, and cheeses, no mustard–just lots of butter and the bread crisped just short of a burn. Another time with roasted red peppers and bacon.
Now I’m hankering for beer bread.
October 24th, 2012 at 6:35 pm
Just made an open faced version with left over BBQ rib meat smothered in havarti and Swiss…delicious!