We’ve been going on a lot of family walks lately, and during one of our strolls a couple of days ago, Brett and I were talking about how much peace this change of pace has brought us during this newborn phase. It’s been a relief not feeling obligated to be anywhere and we’ve never had to worry about taking Sage to public places. Trust me, I have my moments of missing people and my leisurely strolls through Target, but being forced to slow down has been nice.
One of the highlights of quarantine is having more time to cook for fun. Last weekend I made homemade challah bread and we capped off this weekend by making pasta carbonara and homemade french silk pie. Making old and new recipes just for the heck of it brings me so much happiness. It’s my “me” time in the kitchen.
It’s also been neat to see so many people taking advantage of being home by making home cooked meals and baking like crazy! I loooooove seeing all the bread (especially banana bread – ha!). After Sage was born, we received a few loaves of homemade bread (both SO delicious) and we scarfed them down. There’s just something about bread that is extremely comforting.
While I do enjoy the art of making homemade bread and the effort and patience that comes with waiting for the yeast to bubble and dough to rise, I do love making simpler breads like a banana or beer bread. I’ve seen my fair share of both on social media and I think it’s because it’s been hard to find yeast during these times!
Since there’s no shortage of beer right now and we always seem to have some in our fridge thanks to my husband’s quarantine drinking habits, I decided to make my own beer bread at home. It’s mixed with sharp Asiago cheese and fresh herbs, making it salty, fluffy and earthy. The smell of this bread is out of this world and it’s aroma filled our house while baking in the oven.
So… if you have a bottle of beer lying around, save it for this bread. Oh, and you must serve it when warm with a generous pat of butter on top. If you end up making it, don’t forget to tag #marinamakeseats!
Asiago & Herb Beer Bread
Ingredients
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3 cups of flour
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1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
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1 teaspoon of salt
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1/4 cup of sugar
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1 12 oz bottle of beer
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1 cup of shredded Asiago cheese
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1/4 cup of combined very finely chopped fresh thyme, rosemary and oregano (2-3 large sprigs of each herb should do)
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4 tablespoons of melted butter
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
Add the beer and stir to combine, and then add the cheese and herbs and mix and knead with your hands to incorporate everything well. Try not to over mix because the dough may get tough.
Add two tablespoons of melted butter to the bottom of a 9X5 loaf pan and then add the dough. Top with the remaining two tablespoons of melted butter.
Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes, until the bread is golden and cooked through.
Serve warm with butter.
Marina Makes 