Beer Bread

I fear this January has been a little lacking in new recipes.  Out of the blue yesterday, I received a sudden urge to make something.  I wanted fresh bread - all warm and delicious - but I had a few issues.  First, most of my bread making, although it follows the very easy no knead method, requires waiting overnight for chemistry to do it's thing.  Second, my store of bread flour is for some unknown reason very low.  Then I remembered seeing a bread recipe in the recent Penzeys spice catalog.  Beer Bread here I come!

Beer Bread

adapted slightly from Penzey's Catalog

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp smoked sea salt
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp Penzeys Italian Herb mix
12 oz beer (I used a Hefeweizen), at room temperature
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Steps

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and herb mix.
3.  Add the beer and stir until blended.
4.  Put dough in a lightly greased loaf pan (4 1/2 x 8 1/2) and bake for one hour.
5.  Combine butter and garlic powder.
6.  After removing the bread from the oven, pour the butter mixture over the top.  Allow the bread to rest for 10 - 15 minutes before removing.

The Final Product

Wow!  Boy did this recipe hit the spot.  It was fast, easy, and so tasty.  We consumed half the loaf in the first half hour it was out of the oven.  The sea salt was a yummy alternative to regular salt.  Next time I think I will try some different herbs or a different beer.  Definitely keeping this one in the rotation.