After a couple weeks of rotation and settling into our new place, I finally got to really test out my new oven this weekend. I’ve sort of deemed macarons my ultimate tester of the temperature and hot spots of ovens, and I’m really excited to say that this oven seems to be perfect! I baked them a little too hot, so the feet exploded a little bit, but there weren’t any cracks, which was a major issue in our last apartment due to the uneven heat in the oven there. I’m going to try one more time before posting a recipe, as I need to perfect them, but I am soo excited to finally be able to have yummy macarons! In the meantime… beer bread. With cheese. And garlic.
I made myself a batch of my cinnamon raisin bread, and I also wanted to make a loaf out of this recipe from The Beeroness. I totally planned on rolling it up like a cinnamon swirl bread, cheesy beer bread style, but my filling was a little too runny. After letting the dough rise, I just decided to stir the filling into the bread so it turned into a kind of doughy batter, and the cheesy garlic goodness was alllllll throughout the loaf. It worked out just as well!
This bread is awesome for dunking into soups, making into sandwiches, or just eating on its own. We made some grilled cheese with it tonight using jalapeño cheese; you can never go wrong with more cheese on a cheesy bread! Choose your favorite beer or even your least favorite if its something you want to get rid of. That’s what I did here – I used Samuel Adam’s Oktoberfest, which neither Alex nor I like. I had to use Leffe for my pictures, mostly because I love the bottle, and it is one of my actual favorites. The Oktoberfest made it a deep, slightly spicy beer flavor; the Leffe would be much lighter!
Now that life is a bit less hectic with just a couple more weeks left of my first rotation, you can expect to see more regular recipes again! I’ve so missed posting here, and I’m so excited to get a little messy in my new kitchen! Once I’m feeling happy with it, I’ll share a few photos of my new setup! Still a rental, so it’s not my dream kitchen, obviously, but it’s much better than my last place, which was full of crazy wallpaper and pink counters. Ugh. Haha!
Do you like to use beer in any recipes? I also love using it in chili!
- 2 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp unrefined cane sugar
- 1 cup beer (choose your favorite-- you'll need 12 oz. total)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (just shy of 2 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup beer
- 2 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping (about 1/2 cup)
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, stir the flour, yeast, salt, garlic powder, and sugar together.
Place the 1 cup of beer in a heat-proof measuring cup, and heat in the microwave at 20-second intervals until warm, about 120ºF.
Add the beer and olive oil to the flour mixture, and mix with the dough hook on medium-low speed until smooth and elastic, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap sprayed with oil. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about one hour.
While the dough is rising, stir together the greek yogurt, 6 oz. cheddar, minced garlic, salt, and beer, (or pulse in a food processor), until smooth.
Once the dough has risen, punch down the dough, and add the filling to the bowl of dough. Stir until the filling has been fully incorporated into the dough - it'll be pretty moist, almost like a quick bread batter.
Transfer the batter-dough to a parchment-lined loaf pan, and preheat the oven to 375ºF. While the oven is preheating, allow the dough to rise for a second time, about 20 minutes.
Sprinkle the dough with the remaining 2 oz. shredded cheddar, and bake at 375ºF for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the cheese is golden and bubbly.
Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for freshness (can also freeze, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months).
adapted from The Beeroness