Beer Bread

One of my favorite places to shop for cookware or gadgets is the Cook Store in Mountain Brook. It is located at 2841 Cahaba Road. Their phone number is: (205) 879-5277. It is a quaint, cozy store and an essential resource for any serious cook. It is also a wonderful place to buy a gift for a special cook. The front part of the store is devoted to handmade pottery/cookware, designed by various artists. The piece I am featuring today is a Bread Baker, (pictured above, lower left), crafted by Greg Schatz , of Nashville, IN. It is oven, microwave, and dishwasher safe. Included with the baker is a recipe for Beer Bread, which I just tried. It was very quick and easy to make. I bought an imported beer at World Market, simply because I liked the way the label looked and I thought it would look cute as a vase later. I know that sounds silly, but I am not a beer drinker and I didn't think it would affect the taste of the bread. It proved to be a little bitter, however. Next time I will probably try a mainstream light beer.

Beer Bread

3 cups Bisquick
3 tablespoons sugar
1 can room temperature beer

Grease bottom and sides of baker. Combine all ingredients and pour into baker. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes.

The ladies at the Cook Store told me that it might overflow, so I poured some of it into a mini loaf pan. Next time I will fill the baker a little fuller because I would like for it to round out a little higher. I also added about 3 tbsp parmesan cheese, which is one of the variations listed on the recipe.

Combine all ingredients: This is how full I filled them. It rose about a third again as much.

I served it with grilled pork chops, grilled asparagus, and baked sweet potatoes. It was very moist. Even though I will not buy that brand of beer again, it really does make a cute vase.

The Bread Baker is also the perfect size for boxed bread mixes.