Easy Beer Bread and Awesome, Fun Dutch Babies

The following two recipes are for beer bread and Dutch Babies.  I found the beer bread recipe years ago and immediately loved how easy it was to achieve home baked bread with so little effort.  It called for self-rising flour which at that time was the new kid on the block and a revelation.  I do think the herb bread that follows (which I assume you can also make with self-rising flour) is more moist with the added oil to it.  However, I would only add a scant 1/4 cup as opposed to the recipe's called for 1/4 cup.
 

Original Beer Bread Recipe

3 1/2 cups self rising flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 12oz. can of beer your choice
2 tablespoons melted butter

Follow the general directions to the herb beer bread below leaving out the oil and herbs.

Cheese Herb Beer Bread

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Servings: 8-10  

 

 

Ingredients                                     

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour                                     
• 1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese                                
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese                            
• 2 tablespoons sugar                                                
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda                                      
• 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley                          
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme                                            
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt                                                 
• 2 cups non-alcoholic beer or 2 cups regular beer      
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil                                                 

                                                                        
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
2. Mix together flour, cheeses, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, oregano, parsley, thyme and salt.
3. In a small bowl, combine beer and oil.
4. Make a well in center of flour mixture.
5. Add beer all at once, tossing with fork until dry ingredients are just moistened.
6. Spread batter in prepared pan; smooth top.
7. Bake bread until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes.
8. Transfer pan to wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
9. Note: Keep in mind darker beers, like ales and stouts, are more flavorful than light.

Dutch Babies

An old friend gave me this old German Pancake recipe and it's soooo easy and tasty.  I enjoy them anytime, but especially around the holidays for breakfast with fresh lemons squeezed over them sprinkled with confectioner's sugar.  They taste phenomenal aaand can be made as big or as small as you want from the original simple-to-remember recipe!  Other than tasting so yummy, what's most fun about them, is waiting to see how each one will turn out.  They never come out the same. 

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Ingredients (For smallest. Serves One.   Add more of each in equal increments to increase size Dutch Baby)

1 egg

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup milk
Dollup Butter (generous tablespoon)

For Larger Servings:


Pan Size                      Butter                         Eggs                Milk & Flour

2-3 qt.                           ¼ cup                            3                   ¾ cup each
3-4 qt.                          1/3 cup                           4                   1 cup each
4-4½ qt                         ½ cup                            5                   1¼ cups each
4½-5 qt                         ½ cup                            6                   1½ cups each

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚.
2. Put the butter in the pan or baking dish and put it in the oven to melt.
3. Put the eggs in a blender and blend well.*
4. Put the milk and flour in the blender and blend well. (You might want to stop and stir it once so there aren’t any lumps of flour.)   (THIS ENTIRE STEP CAN BE DONE IN A BOWL WITH A WHISK.)

5. Tilt the pan so the melted butter is evenly distributed; pour the batter in the pan and put it in the oven.
6. Bake until the pancake is puffy and well browned, about 20 – 25 minutes. The timing will depend on the size of your pan.
7. Serve immediately with your favorite topping.

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Classic topping: sprinkle with powdered sugar and then squeeze lemon juice from a lemon wedge over it.

And HERE is where I had my very first German Pancake over 40 years ago on my way to work:

http://www.dinahsrestaurant.com/aboutus.html