ATK's Cast Iron Beer-Batter Cheese Bread

Recipe and all photos - ATK - video linked also.

As you know, my lovely readers, the recipes I want to make again end up here on the blog so I can return to find them also. This one from America's Test Kitchen is a keeper because it is a very cheesy quick bread, therefore fresh oven-baked bread without the time of waiting for the dough to rise. The beer, yeast-in-the-beer, and cheese give this bread plenty of rich flavor. Since I always stock extra sharp cheddar, it's what I will use most of the times I make it, but you can use any robust or sharp cheese to make the bread.

Cast Iron Beer-Batter Cheese Bread 

(from America's Test Kitchen here)

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 

½ cup minced fresh chives 

2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 cups Gruyère cheese, shredded (You can substitute extra sharp cheddar or any robust cheese if you wish.)
1 ¼ cups mild lager, such as Budweiser
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1) Whisk together flour, chives, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.

2) Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese until coated with flour. 

3) Stir beer and melted butter into the flour mixture and just combined. Do not over-stir. Expect the batter to be thick and heavy.

4) Scrape batter into a well-greased 10 1/2 inch cast iron skillet. Smooth the top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

5) Bake in a 450-degree F oven for 20 - 25 minutes, rotating the

pan halfway through the baking.

6) Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Cast iron stays super hot for a long time, so handle carefully when (after 10 minutes) removing the bread from the skillet to cool for another 20 minutes.

Something to bake over the weekend to go with soup, chili, or stew! Or perhaps wine and a cheese platter. Bon Appetit!

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Artisan Beer Bread

This one I tossed in 1/2 cup of oatmeal instead of all the flour.

On the spur of the moment at the supermarket, I decided to come home and make a loaf of Beer Bread. Fresh baked bread is always appealing, as is trying something new, so the next step was to find the beer aisle. I bought a single can of Wolters Pilsener, a German beer for $1.50. The choices were either buy it; or a Russian can of beer; or a 6-pack of a familiar brand. I only wanted one can, and I don't think Russia is known for its beer ... or am I wrong? Moreover 45 loves Russia, or at least he loves Putin, but does Putin love us back? 'Tis dubious😳, so I went with German beer.🙂

Next I chose to use all-purpose* flour because I always have it at home, and simply add eggs instead of buying 5 pounds of bread flour (which is slightly higher in protein). I also like to add ground flax seed when not using whole wheat flour, but y0u can use bread* or whole wheat* flour in the recipe ... as all three types of flour work in making bread. (I leave flax seed out if using whole wheat, a denser flour.) Finally if you let the dough proof overnight, you won't have to kneed it. The flavor develops during the proofing process. Here is my recipe:

Artisan Beer Bread (for a large 2 pound loaf)

Ingredients
14 ounces beer (of your choice)
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
4 cups all purpose flour*↑ (+ extra for sprinkling.) Note: When I use all-purpose flour, I will use whole wheat flour for sprinkling to give the bread more fiber. At times I desire the lightness of all-purpose flour in baking, but do try to make the bread healthier by tossing in flax seed and use whole wheat flour for sprinkling to work with the dough. Life is about balance. Eating healthy 90% of the time, while enjoying treats 10% of the time keeps you healthy and happy!
1/2 - 3/4 cup ground flax seed (more or less)
a squirt of extra virgin olive oil (or butter)

Directions: 

1) Pour 14 ounces of room temperature beer into a bowl.

2) Toss in 1/4 teaspoon of active dry yeast and stir.

3) Add the salt (it fizzles) and mix.

4) I like to toss in 1/2 cup of the flour and next incorporate 2 eggs before mixing in the rest of the flour and ground flax seed. You can use the long handle end of a cooking spoon to incorporate the flour and ground flax seed to form a ball of dough. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl clean with a spatula. Let the dough sit to proof in the bowl.

5) Squirt a tad of olive oil on the top of the dough; cover with plastic wrap and and proof it in a warm spot in your kitchen. After 12 hours (overnight) or so, it doubles in size.

6) The next morning use the long handle of your cooking spoon to stir the air out of the dough. Sometimes I use a small spatula to help twirl and press the air out of the dough. Sprinkle flour on top of the dough as needed. Work the dough by stirring a few times, not much is required. It should feel elastic and smell like yeast.

7) Next lay the dough into a well greased baking pan. Pull the dough long if you bake it in a large rectangle loaf pan, or leave the dough round if using a cast iron dutch over with a lid ... whichever you desire.

8) I butter the pan and top of the dough. After laying the dough in your greased loaf pan (or greased dutch oven), let it raise (i.e., proof) again for another 1 hour, or longer. (One hour minimum time. I let the bread double again in the pan.) You are now ready to bake the bread.

9) In a 400 degree F preheated oven, bake covered for 40 minutes and another 10 - 15 minutes uncovered to get a fluffy loaf of bread with a hard crusty top. In a loaf pan, I use aluminum foil as a cover before removing it at the end to let the top brown.

The finished bread is tasty with butter, or soup; and a 2-pound loaf makes nice sized slices for sandwiches too. To preserve the feshness of your loaf, slice and store in the freezer (not the refrigerator). You can remove slices from the freezer as needed. Enjoy!


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Ale To The Chief: The White House Beer Recipe

Photo: White House/Pete Souza 

On a campaign stop, President Barack Obama told an Iowa man his bus was stocked with White House home-brewed beer and offered up a bottle.  This led to a number of questions for White House Spokesman, Jay Carney, about the details of the beer.  It was revealed that the White House chefs have been experimenting with home brewing for a while, using honey from the First Lady's beehives in the recipe.  The White House crafts two versions, a light and dark beer.  (See video.)

Soon a citizen filed a Freedom Of Information Act requesting the recipe, and 25,000 people signed a We The People petition, clamoring for the secrets behind the brew.  When word of the public's interest reached the President, he promised to share the recipe with everyone.  And as it turns out, making a tasty home brew is not too difficult.  So from the White House to you, here is how to do it:

WHITE HOUSE HONEY ALE WHITE HOUSE HONEY PORTER Ingredients 2 (3.3 lb) cans light malt extract 1 lb light dried malt extract 12 oz crushed amber crystal malt 8 oz Biscuit Malt 1 lb White House Honey 1 1/2 oz Kent Goldings Hop Pellets 1 1/2 oz Fuggles Hop pellets 2 tsp gypsum  1 pkg Windsor dry ale yeast 3/4 cup corn sugar for priming Directions 1. In an 12 qt pot, steep the grains in a hop bag in 1 1/2 gallons of sterile water at 155 degrees for half an hour. 2.Remove the grains. 3. Add the 2 cans of the malt extract and the dried extract and bring to a boil. [The water is now called "wart."] 4. For the first flavoring, add the 1 1/2 oz Kent Goldings and 2 tsp of gypsum. Boil for 45 minutes. [Hops gives beer its bitterness, flavor and aroma and keeps certain becteria from spoiling it.] 5. For the second flavoring, add the 1 1/2 oz Fuggles hop pellets at the last minute of the boil. 6. Add the honey and boil for 5 more minutes. 7. Add 2 gallons chilled sterile water into the primary fermenter and add the hot wort into it. Top with more water to total 5 gallons. There is no need to strain. 8. Pitch yeast when wort temperature is between 70-80˚. 9. Fill airlock halfway with water. 10. Ferment at 68-72˚ for about seven days. 11. Rack to a secondary fermenter after five days and ferment for 14 more days. 12. To bottle, dissolve the corn sugar into 2 pints of boiling water for 15 minutes.  Pour the mixture into an empty bottling bucket. Siphon the beer from the fermenter over it.  14. Distribute priming sugar evenly.  Siphon into bottles and cap. Let sit for 2 to 3 weeks at 75˚. The green is hops. Ingredients 2 (3.3 lb) cans light unhopped malt extract 3/4 lb Munich Malt (cracked) 1 lb crystal 20 malt (cracked) 6 oz black malt (cracked) 3 oz chocolate malt (cracked) 1 lb White House Honey 10 HBUs bittering hops 1/2 oz Hallertaur Aroma hops 1 pkg Nottingham dry yeast 3/4 cup corn sugar for bottling Directions 1. In a 6 qt pot, add grains to 2.25 qts of 168˚ water. 2. Mix well to bring temp down to 155˚. Steep on stovetop at 155˚ for 45 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, bring 2 gallons of water to 165˚ in a 12 qt pot. 4. Place strainer over, then pour and spoon all the grains and liquid in. 5. Rinse with 2 gallons of 165˚ water. 6. Let liquid drain through. 7 Discard the grains and bring the liquid to a boil. Set aside. 8. Add the 2 cans of malt extract and honey into the pot. Stir well. 9. Boil for an hour. 10. Add half of the bittering hops at the 15 minute mark, the other half at 30 minute mark, then the aroma hops at the 60 minute mark.  Set aside and let stand for 15 minutes. 11. Place 2 gallons of chilled water into the primary fermenter and add the hot wort into it. Top with more water to total 5 gallons if necessary. Place into an ice bath to cool down to 70-80˚. 12. Activate dry yeast in 1 cup of sterilized water at 75-90˚ for fifteen minutes. Pitch yeast into the fermenter. Fill airlock halfway with water. Ferment at room temp (64-68˚) for 3-4 days. 13. Siphon over to a secondary glass fermenter for another 4-7 days. 14. To bottle, make a priming syrup on the stove with 1 cup sterile water and 3/4 cup priming sugar, bring to a boil for five minutes. Pour the mixture into an empty bottling bucket. Siphon the beer from the fermenter over it. Distribute priming sugar evenly. Siphon into bottles and cap. Let sit for 1-2 weeks at 75˚.

Unlike the home distilling of hard liquor, or moonshine, which is still a felony, states allow you to brew your own beer.  You can buy a home brewing kit at your local spirits store.  Sometimes what begins as a hobby leads to a regional business.  Here are some delicious local brews to try:

1. San Franscisco Brewcraft

2. Oak Barrell Winecraft

3. Almanac Beer Co.

4. Hardy Park Craft Brewery

5. Goose Island Sofie

6. Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale

If you have a favorite local beer, please add it under comments.  Me: I love Canadian (Moosehead) and Belgian (Blue Moon) beers too and hear there are excellent local Asian (Japanese and Indian) beers; and of course, I'm dying to try a White House Honey Ale.  So Mr. President, the next time you're in town on your campaign bus, pleassse stop by.

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