Lettuce Talk Beer...Bread

I was first introduced to this stuff when one of my best friend's mom gave it to me for Christmas. Well, she gave me the dry ingredients, filled in a big beer bottle which came with a church key (bottle opener). All I had to do was dump out the ingredients, add a bottle of beer, and bake, and it was fantastic. (I attributed most of its goodness to the fact that my hands and brain had little to do with its preparation.)

About a week ago, nearly a year after my first encounter with this bread, I had a conversation with an eccentric Trader Joe's cashier who raved about her homemade beer bread, and how simple it is to make from scratch. I am not a particularly good baker, nor do I particularly enjoy baking, but I figured that I would try it on my own, without the aid and convenience of the gift I had received last year.

I proudly followed the recipe from the link below, but chose to forgo the optional glaze.
http://foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com/2005/11/beer-bread-update-whole-wheat-version.html
I used a 12-ounce bottle of Palm, a Belgian ale, and used water to make up the remainder of the required liquid.

The result: a very crunchy outer layer that shelters a tender and moist interior. The beer flavor is present, but not overwhelming, which may be partly due to the fairly mild selection I used. Next time I think I'll use an Oktoberfest beer and add raisins. And the time after that I will use a darker beer and add herbs and perhaps some cheese, as the original author of this recipe suggests. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it is worth trying, and absolutely worth experimenting with, this recipe.