Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Caraway Beer Bread

This bread was baked with some amount of anticipation because it was super fast and used two very exciting ingredients: beer and caraway seeds (obviously).  Like this other beer bread, I think the beer is not so much for leavening as it is for flavor (yeasty/malty, sort of compensates for it being a baking powder bread rather than a yeasted one).

Though the caraway seeds are zingy and fun, though, I've yet to meet a soda bread that I'm really excited about.  Fresh out of the oven, slathered in earth balance, it tastes awesome (don't most things? [don't answer that]).  But as early as the morning after, it feels stale, dry, dense; it lacks flavor... which is why I made a funny-looking half loaf (pictured below). 

Does anyone have a really awesome quick bread recipe?  I mean, a bready one (not pumpkin bread or something like that, where the sugar, oil, and pumpkin all add to the moistness).

Caraway Beer Bread
(from food.com)

Ingredients
3 c all-purpose flour
1 TB baking powder
1 TB sugar
1 tsp salt
2 TB caraway seeds (don't overdo this--it won't look like that much, but a little goes a long way)
12 ounces beer, room temperature 
2 TB vegan butter, melted 

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F.  Coat a small loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and caraway in a large bowl.  Add beer; stir in liquid into flour mixture just until flour is moistened.  Scrape into pan.
3. Bake at 350*F for 50 minutes.  Brush top with half of melted butter, then bake 10 more minutes or until lightly browned.
4. Remove loaf from oven and brush on remaining butter.  Cool somewhat, then serve warm or at room temperature.  Makes one (9x5) loaf.

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