Beer Bread (and Hops)

Have you ever made BEER BREAD? It's the easiest and fastest loaf of bread I've ever made!  Beer is used in place of water and yeast and yields a slightly dense, moist loaf.

Now, I’m not a beer drinker, so it was a challenge to figure out what kind of beer to use – I stood blurry-eyed in the beer section at Trader Joe’s and decided on an inexpensive store brand.  I thought a dark beer might taste best, but the bread was a bit too “beer-ie”, so next time I’ll try a lighter beer and/or use a bit less beer and add water to fulfill the liquid requirement. Overall though, this one’s a keeper.

Okay, so beer isn't technically an herb – but HOPS (an ingredient in beer) is! So here’s a quickie lesson on Hops in keeping with my blog’s herbal theme.

Hops (Humulus lupulus) is a member of the marijuana (Cannabaceae) family and is a tall, spindly vine that can reach heights of 15-30 feet.  Only the female plant’s flowers are used for beer brewing and medicine (sorry guys).

Hops is traditionally used to help with sleeplessness and is often paired with Valerian; its properties are related to Valerian in that it acts as a smooth muscle relaxant.  King George III and Abraham Lincoln both used Hops pillows to help them sleep.

Hops is also useful for pain, twitching, and tremors associated with exhaustion from mental, emotional, and nervous strain and excitement. A Hops personality is one who is very intense and has strong emotions such as hatred and anger.

Dried Hops - from my herb drawer!

Hops is a bitter digestive that is useful for treating nervous indigestion, ulcers, IBS and Crohn’s, and can relax the digestive tract within 20-40 minutes. Hops has anti-bacterial properties which can help fight digestive tract infections.

Hops is a natural estrogenic, meaning it can aide “women’s issues”; regular doses of this herb can help regulate the menstrual cycle, ease PMS and menopause symptoms, and calm cramping.

A Hops poultice can relive the pain and inflammation of an earache or toothache. 

Externally Hops can treat abscesses, skin infections, eczema, herpes, leg ulcers, and relieve muscle spasms – especially in the lower back.

….and a piece of folklore: regular use of Hops can increase breast size!

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Here's the original recipe I started with (from USA Weekend, March 4-6, 2011):

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

3 TBSP sugar

1 TBSP baking powder

1 ½ tsp salt

12 ounces beer

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and adjust oven rack to lower-middle position.

Mix the dry ingredients together.  Add the beer and stir with a fork until just combined.  Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead quickly to form a ball.  Place bread on a baking sheet and slit an X on top with a sharp knife.  Brush loaf with egg wash.  

Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack to cool. 

Yield: 12 servings

Changes I made after the first batch: 

• Made the recipe with less beer: 8 oz beer + 4 oz water.  The taste was much better and the texture a bit lighter.  Even tasted great with a bit of strawberry jam!   
• Made the bread in a large loaf pan and cooked for 45 minutes.  Easier to cut and portion. 
• Buttered the top of the bread halfway through the baking process instead of the egg wash - awesome!

Enjoy!