Pumpkin Beer Bread

Happy November!!!

{I can't believe I just said that.}

You know what November needs?  More pumpkin.  Kinda like more cowbell.  I mean, really...can you have too much?

If you've never made beer bread, now is the time.  It's about the easiest thing you'll ever make.  Click here for my mom's recipe and a few variations.

This bread is not a sweet bread, so don't expect it to taste like the pumpkin bread at Starbucks.  It's pretty much a classic beer bread with some warm spices...delicious slathered with butter, warm from the oven...delicious toasted with butter alone or with a sprinkle cinnamon sugar.

You'll need these...

...kitty to check your ingredients is totally optional.

Pumpkin Beer Bread

3 cups unbleached, self-rising flour
3 TBSP light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1 cup pumpkin
12 ounces room temperature pumpkin beer
butter

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9x 5" loaf pan with shortening.

Whisk together the flour, sugar and spices.

Add the pumpkin and the beer and stir until combined.

Spoon into prepared loaf pan,  and bake about 1 hour.  Let cool in the pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a cooling rack.

Pour melted butter on top of the bread or, just rub a stick of butter over the top, letting it drip down the sides.  Enjoy while still warm, or toasted and oodles of butter.

Beer Bread, 4 ways

 

You might as well know...I like beer.  I come from a family of beer drinkers.  "I come from a family of neurosurgeons" might sound more impressive, but there ya go.

Even though I'd never had a beer until I was 21 *cough*, I'd gotten a little taste from my mom's famous beer bread.  It couldn't be simpler to make (FOUR INGREDIENTS), no kneading, no rising....just stir, bake, done.

Since my sister and her family were coming over for Easter, we decided to do a little "beer bread sampling."  Four beer breads, made with 4 different New Belgium beers.

Our breads were:

1. Mom's Classic, made with Fat Tire,
2. Gruyere & Rosemary, made with Blue Paddle,
3. Orange Nutmeg, made with Mothership Wit, 
4. and Cinnamon Chocolate Chip, made with 1554

Now, this was a tough, tough assignment.  Eat bread and drink beer. But we survived...and one bread came out the winner...

Gruyere & Rosemary was hands-down everyone's favorite.  And it IS delicious....especially served warm, with butter running down the sides.

I have to tell you though, I really loved the sweet versions.  (You're shocked, right?)

 

The orange nutmeg bread had these little flecks of orange zest throughout and the sweet orange glaze on the top? Oh so yummy.  And smells SO good!

Let's talk cinnamon chocolate chip bread, shall we? It's is calling my name right now.  This bread was so decadent at room temperature with its little pockets of bittersweet chocolate chips, but toasted? With butter? For breakfast?  Yes please, I'll have another.

And I can't forget the original....mom's classic beer bread.  Seriously, try it.  Warm bread, straight from the oven in one hour?  Try it with dinner tonight. You'll be glad you did.

Mom's Classic Beer Bread

3 c. self-rising flour
3 TBSP sugar
12 ounces room temperature beer
melted butter

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9x 5" loaf pan with shortening.

Stir together the flour and sugar.  Add the beer and stir until combined.

Spoon into prepared loaf pan,  and bake 1 hour.  Remove immediately from pan and place on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet.  Pour melted butter on top of the bread, letting it drip down the sides.  Enjoy!


variations:

• Gruyere-Rosemary: use a beer such as New Belgium's Blue Paddle Pilsner-Lager.  Stir in 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese and 1 TBSP fresh rosemary to the basic dough.  Brush the top with melted butter after removing from the pan.
• Orange Nutmeg: use a wheat beer, such as Mothership Wit. Zest a large orange and add the zest and 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg to the basic dough.  While the bread bakes, juice half of the orange.  Whisk with some powdered sugar to make a glaze.  Remove cooked bread from the pan, poke several holes in the top with a toothpick.  Pour the glaze over the bread, allowing it to drip down the sides.
• Cinnamon Chocolate Chip: use a dark beer such as 1554.  Substitute brown sugar for the granulated.  Stir in 3/4 c. bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghiradelli) and 1/2 tsp cinnamon to the basic dough.  Sprinkle the dough with cinnamon-sugar before baking.  Rub the top of the bread with butter after removing from the pan, if desired.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a stipend to purchase New Belgium beer and ingredients. Thanks, FoodBuzz!

Bread : it's what's for dinner . . . Works for Me Wednesday

It occurs to me that I should be a marathon runner, not because I love to exercise, but because I am in a constant state of carbo-loading.

You guys....I LOVE bread.

Exhibit A: my "usual" at Panera.
 

French Onion Soup in a bread bowl with a side of baguette

Or as Mr. E called it this afternoon....

"Bread with a side of soup."

I admit it, I am smitten with bread...and Panera. And I LOVE than they give you the bread that was scooped out for the soup.  That chunk of bread is like a little piece of heaven. (Please tell me there is bread in heaven.)


Speaking of bread (and I can't believe I've never shared this recipe before)...this is the ULTIMATE white bread for sandwiches, toast, snacking (?). :) If you love bread like I do, I BEG you to make it.

{My pictures aren't great, but the bread....oh, it's incredible!  It's carbo-load time!}

White Bread 101 
{barely modified from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion }

3 c. all-purpose flour (you can subs. WHITE whole wheat flour here)
2 tsp instant yeast
1 & 1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 TBSP sugar
4 TBSP softened butter
1/4 c. dry milk
1/3 c. potato flakes
1 & 1/8 c. lukewarm water

Combine all ingredients together.  Dump onto a lightly floured surface and knead until you have a smooth dough...about 10 minutes.  Add more flour as needed, but add sparingly as more flour equals a heavier, drier loaf.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl; cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

Transfer to a lightly greased work surface and shape into an 8" log.  Place in a lightly greased 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pan.  Cover loosely with the oiled plastic wrap and let rise about 1 hour....or until the dough has risen 1 inch over the rim.

Preheat oven to 350.  Uncover and bake the bread for 35-40 minutes, or until an instant thermometer reads 190 degrees. (Tent with foil during the last 10-15 minutes of baking if it is browning too quickly.)

Remove bread from the pan and place on a wire cooling rack.  After 15 minutes, brush with butter.  Cool completely before slicing.

Makes a mean grilled cheese or PB & J sandwich! 

{This post about my love for "bread with a side of soup" is sponsored by Panera. My obsession with carbs, my love of French Onion soup and my extra 15 pounds are mine and mine alone.}

An Ode to Bread . . .

There was a young girl from Dallas,

...wait, that's a limerick, not an ode.....

I'm not quite sure how to write an ode, but I will tell you, bread is special to me.

{This is Panera's Tomato Basil bread.}

I grew up smelling bread dough rise for my mom's famous cinnamon rolls.  There was beer bread, warm from the oven and slathered in butter.  Bread was always a part of our lives.

My Bread Story:  Well, I was dating this guy.  And one day (15 years ago today, to be exact, right about this time of day...it's 4:30pm here), he called and asked if I wanted to go to Happy Hour.  Of course, I said!

He picked me up, and drove not to a restaurant, or to a bar, but to a park.  A beautiful park.  From the back seat, he produced a loaf of bread and a bottle of champagne.  We sat on a wooden park bench, sipped champange and tore off chunks of bread.

And then, I SCREAMED!  There was something big and BLACK in the bread.  He was calm, removed the black "thing" from the bread...it was a box.  He knelt down on one knee and proposed.

{When you're dating someone with an engineering degree, I guess it shouldn't come as a shock that he carves out the perfect size cubbyhole in a loaf of bread for a ring box. And then puts the whole thing back together perfectly.}

So, the rest is history.  It may explain why, as I watched this Panera "Ode to Bread" video, I got teary-eyed.  Watch it and tell me, does it make you teary, too?

Just ONE of the reasons I LOVE Panera, is that their freshly made, always delicious loaves of bread are ready and waiting for me in the store when I don't have the time....or am feeling too lazy....to make my own.

Treat yourself to one.....or better yet, have your honey pick a loaf for you.  You never know what might be hiding in there! ;)

{Do YOU have a bread story?}
I'd love to for you to share it here...or with Panera on their Facebook page.

(This is a sponsored post by Panera Bread, but my opinions, words and proposal story are all my own.)

Babies, Bread & Beautiful Bloggers. . .

Babies:
My *little* sister just had her 3rd baby last month.  Her 3rd boy.  A beautiful, healthy, chunky little boy named Leo. ♥

{So, she now has a 4 year-old, a one-year-old, a newborn and a good case of sleep-deprivation. ;)}

Bread:
It's always been my philosophy that new mothers need a little sugar high to make it through the day.....or at least until naptime. 

Enter Poppy Seed Bread that makes TWO loaves and is perfect to freeze and drop off to a new mommy.

The bread is oh-so-moist....I'm no expert, but it might have something to do with the 1+ cups of oil in the recipe.
 
It is SO good just sliced and served plain for breakfast, or a snack, or for dessert.  It's a multi-tasker.

Beautiful Bloggers:
You may know that we lost my mom to cancer over 10 years ago.  Kiddo was 1 and I feel so lucky that he had her in his life, even if it was only for a year.

Mom made the quilt for kiddo's bed....and she started a small quilt for him to have to carry around.  But she got too sick to finish it.

I'm not good with a needle and thread.  So, this little quilt was in a bag that I've carried from house to house to house.  And a couple months before baby Leo was born, I found it!

Here's what it looked like (the top was put together, batting and back attached with pins and bits of thread.):

On a whim, I tweeted something like, "Anyone interested in finishing a baby quilt in exchange for cookies.....or cash?"  

I'm not kidding, 5 seconds later, sweet Robyn from Earthbound Chronicles offered to finish it.....FOR THE COOKIES!!!  I think I offered her a few chances to back out....or to take the cash instead.  She wouldn't even let me pay her for shipping.

Here's how the quilt looks now:
 
Absolutely gorgeous!!!  And take a gander at this adorable, darling, perfect trim that Robyn added...

 

{Oh, I love it!}

So, now baby Leo has a little piece of something his Gigi made.....with a BIG dash of love from a sweet blogger we've never even met.

{Y'all....I never expected blogging to bring me to tears, but it does. What I love the most about blogging & tweeting is what I never expected.....meeting the most amazing, creative, generous souls on earth.}

Thank you SO MUCH, Robyn.  {I still think you should have taken the cash.} ;)

Poppy Seed Bread
{adapted from Mary Engelbreit's Fan Fare}

1 & 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1 & 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1 cup + 2 TBSP vegetable oil
2 & 1/2 cup sugar
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 & 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 & 1/2 TBSP poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease sides and bottoms of two 9x5" loaf pans.

In a large bowl on low speed, beat together the milk, eggs, vanilla, extracts and oil.

Add in the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.  Beat for 2 minutes.  Stir in the poppy seeds.

Divide the batter between the two loaf pans and bake 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in wire racks in the pans 10 minutes, then remove from pans and let cool completely.

To freeze, wrap cooled loaf in heavy-duty foil.  Thaw at room temperature several hours or overnight.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year . . .

...or it will be in 3 days.  Are you ready?  Are you ready for PUMPKIN season?

My sister has a laugh at my expense every year because once September 1st rolls around, it is all-pumpkin-all-the-time around here.  It becomes a slight obsession.

{PS....Starbucks, I'll be at your door Wednesday morning....hoping those Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are in the bakery case.  And if they're not, be prepared for some tears.}

I want you to be prepared, so here is a little pumpkin bread recipe for you. 

Pumpkin Bread
{Just slightly modified from my girl, Paula Deen 's The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook}

3 and 1/3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 and 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
3 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
2/3 c. water
1/4 c. pumpkin seed kernels

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Set aside.

{If you're wondering about what whole nutmeg looks like, this is it.  There are fancy nutmeg graters, but I just use my small handheld grater with the tiny holes.}

Beat the sugar and oil together until combined.  Beat in the eggs and mix, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  Add pumpkin and blend.  Add the water and blend completely.

Slowly add the flour mixture and beat on low until combined.  Pour into loaf pans.

Roughly chop the pumpkin seed kernels, I like to leave some whole, and sprinkle on top of batter. (I got these in the bulk section of my grocery store.)

Bake for 1 hour, or more, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool in the pans on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.  Remove from pans and let cool completely.

Want more pumpkin?  Here are some goodies from last year...

1. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
2. Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
3. Pumpkin Cream Cheese

Happy Pumpkin Season, Everyone!!!

I-rish I had time to make some St. Patrick's Day cookies

{Keep scrolling down for some oldies but goodies in the St. Patrick's Day Cookies department.}

Please tell me it happens to you, too. You have a million, ok...three, ideas for cute holiday goodies to make and you just run.out.of.time.

It's happened to me. I have pickle & ice cream cookies drying in the kitchen and not one little shamrock to be found.

{Oh, I did I ever scare some people on twitter today when I tweeted that I was making Pickle & Ice Cream cookies! I got a few "you're making WHAT?" tweets back. That was fun. Shaped, not flavored cookies! }

So...here's an Irish Soda Bread recipe that you can whip up in less than 2 hours, start to finish. No rise time, no kneading....mix it and bake it. I make it every St. Patrick's Day.


Irish Soda Bread
{modified from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook}

4 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 TBSP caraway seeds
4 TBSP unsalted butter, cold
1 c. dark raisins
1 c. golden raisins
1 & 1/2 c. buttermilk
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg yolk
1 TBSP milk or cream

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and caraway seeds.

Cut the butter into about 8 pieces. Using a pasty cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

Stir in the raisins.
{Let me add....I am not a raisin lover, but I love this bread!}

In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg and baking soda until well combined. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour and stir with a fork until all the liquid is absorbed and the dough holds together.

On the prepared pan, press the dough into a dome-shaped loaf of about 8 inches.

With a fork, whisk together the egg yolk and milk or cream. Brush onto the dough with a pastry brush. With a sharp knife, make an x-shaped slash in the top of the bread.

Bake about 70 minutes, tenting with foil after about 50 minutes if necessary. Cool on a wire rack.

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Alright...ready for some St. Patrick's Day cookie ideas?

From last year....sparkly shamrocks and pots o' gold:

{This is the post where I go on and on about how I wasn't to add a Mc to our last name. I'm not closer to that dream this year....but I'm not.giving.up.}

Next, Beer cookies:

{How can there be a St. Paddy's Day celebration without beer? Even if it is in the form of decorated cookies?}

And, Shamrocks with heart:

{Actually, these were for a friend's anniversary. Hi Terri & Pat! They had a St. Patrick's wedding.♥ I took the picture years ago when I thought one picture was enough and I then cropped & resized the heck out of it. I'm over that now.}

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!