Beer Bread Plain or with Barbecue

My wife Ally loves baking. She makes some wicked cookies and cakes and has been known to whip out impromptu snacks on a whim using cake batter, cereal, and chocolate as well as other assorted treats found in the pantry. But when it comes to beer bread, she leaves that up to me.

The great thing about Beer Bread is that it can use any type of beer to change up the flavor, you can add just about anything you want in the way of spices or chopped peppers etc. And, you can cook it as a loaf of bread, mini loaves and even muffin style version.

Oh yea, did I mention that it contains beer? Of course I am partial to my Pabst Blue Ribbon. But I’ve used others with equal success. Several, several issues back I touched on beer bread and even beer hushpuppies. I think this updated version will make you some fine slices.

Beer bread is best used the same day and is amazing toasted up in the oven with a bit of pulled pork barbecue, chicken or beef covered with some pepper Jack Cheese. Enjoy!

Kent’s Barbecue Beer Bread

For the plain version, just leave out the barbecue and barbecue sauce.

4 1/3 cups self-rising flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon pancake syrup

1/ 2 tablespoon honey

2 eggs beaten

1 can of Pabst Blue Ribbon

1 cup fine shredded pork barbecue

Minced onion

Minced jalapeno peppers

3 tablespoons favorite barbecue sauce

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Place in greased bread pan and bake for 55 minutes at about 350 degrees. You can also cook it on a covered grill using offset medium high heat. If you cook on the grill I suggest using mini loaf pans or muffin pans. Cover with foil if the top browns too much. Check with toothpick or knife for doneness.

East Ridge resident Kent Whitaker is a culinary writer, cookbook author, recipient of the American Authors Association Gold Medal for a Culinary Title, and former winner of the Food Network / Emeril Live Barbecue Contest. His books include seven titles in the Hometown Cookbook series, three history titles including Talladega Superspeedway, and several books for kids. Thedeckchef.com or @thekentwhitaker