Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Cheddar-Garlic-Beer Bread

If there is one thing I've learned about cooking from my dad, it is this: If you like the way ingredients taste separately, try mixing them together -- you may be disappointed or grossed out, but sometimes you hit gold. In this spirit, I have been baking beer bread with increasingly yummy additions over the past few days. Today, I am up to cheddar-garlic-beer bread. Tomorrow, maybe I'll add in some bacon. Aw yeah!

Here is the recipe, if you're in the mood to try some:

3 cups of self-rising flour
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of garlic salt
20 heads of roasted garlic*, sliced in half, marinated in olive oil (just enough to cover the heads) overnight + the olive oil
1 12 oz. bottle of beer (I use a blond lager -- would use Harp, if I could find it locally)
1 cup of grated extra sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz. of a block)

Mix all together in a big bowl. Put into lightly greased 9X5 inch bread pan. Top with a few tablespoons of crumbly extra sharp cheddar -- believe me, you'll have some after grating the cheese block. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Enjoy warm with lots of butter (why the hell not?).

*This is how I roast garlic: Get a bunch of garlic heads naked. Then, cut off the ends and slice in half. Coat some tin foil with olive oil, layer the garlic, then spray with more olive oil and sprinkle garlic salt and pepper. Cover this with some more tin foil and roast at 300 degrees for about an hour. Garlic should be extremely soft and taste mellow and sweet. I could seriously snack on these like potato chips, but I try to respect the people I live with.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

OHN MY HEAVENS!! That sounds so yummy! I think I have a project to this weekend. And to think that you recommend my favorite libation (Harp).
I can taste it now, Harp with the serioulsy sharp Cabot cheddar...can I weep now?

Justine said...

Oh man, vm, this bread is good! Can you believe that neither of the two grocery stores in my neighborhood carries Harp? QFC did, but they closed our neighborhood store in December. Pooh. There is a specialty wine store that advertises beer in their window, via neon, so I'll try there. Harp rules -- when I found Harp, I knew I could make it in Ireland (I do not like Guinness).

God bless!
J.

Anonymous said...

Guinness is not by taste either tho' I did try it when at the Guinness storehouse.
I've got the ingredients on the shopping list, I let you know how it turns out.

Anonymous said...

Mmmm...reading that had my mouth watering!
I didn't like Guinness when I first tried it, but it grew on me while I was in Ireland. Hard to believe that was almost 10 years ago! I'd probably go for a Harp over a Guinness, though.
Anyway, maybe I'll get adventurous and try this recipe. :)