By Samantha Lim, Staff Writer
Drink your beer and bake with it too! Not many people realize that besides water and milk, other beverages make great ingredients for cooking. I still dream of this flavorful Roasted Garlic Beer Bread days after making it.
Be thoughtful while picking your brew, as it strongly affects how your bread will turn out. As a fan of dark ale, I incorporated a local beer called the ‘Coney Island Sword Swallower,' reviewed by the New York Times as a "favorite for its depth and bitterness." A darker beer will give you a deeper flavor. If you like beer that goes down easier, pick a light Lager or Pilsener. A good way of judging what works is with a simple taste test: if you don't like it straight from the bottle, don't cook with it.
Set the oven temperature to 375°F. Peel off the papery exterior of the garlic bulbs. Slice off the tops with a sharp knife. Wrap them in foil before popping into the oven for approximately 45 minutes. The garlic bulbs should be very soft and mushy. Let them cool before advancing to the next step.
Lightly grease a 9 by 5-inch baking pan. Gently squeeze the soft garlic pulp into a large bowl. Stir in the two kinds of flours followed by the salt, sugar, baking powder, olive oil, and chopped rosemary. Lastly, pour in the beer. Mix, but just barely. Pour the contents into your prepared pan.
Bake the bread for 50-55 minutes or until the top looks golden brown. An important step that is often overlooked is to slide a toothpick into the loaf to make sure the inside is done. There should not be any residue on the toothpick when you remove it. Let the bread cool on a wire rack before removing it from the pan. Slice, serve, and propose a toast to the best garlic bread you have ever had!
Roasted Garlic Beer Bread can be served at room temperature, but I highly recommend helping yourself to a generous slice after taking it straight out of the oven. Warm beer may be gross, but warm beer bread is amazing. It's delicious enough served on its own, but to throw in some suggestions, how about slathering some butter on a slice or topping it off with a fried egg? I picked up some deli meat and cheese from Dutch Treats and had myself a feast.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups lager or pilsner
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 whole garlic bulbs
¾ tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar or honey
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
The marriage of beer and garlic in this recipe gives you aromatic bread that makes mouths water. (Samantha Lim/The Chronicle)