The beauty of a quick bread is that it can be on the table in less than an hour, but that convenience isn't worth it if the final product doesn't taste good. Recipes for beer-batter cheese bread that we tried produced loaves that tasted sour, like stale beer, or had weak, negligible cheese flavor. Still other attempts at this bread were so greasy that we had to pass out extra napkins. We wanted a lighter loaf enhanced with the yeasty flavor of beer and a rich hit of cheese—and it still had to be quick and easy. Limiting the butter in the batter to just 3 tablespoons imparted enough richness without going overboard. We put a moderate amount of cheese into the batter itself and then sprinkled some extra on top of the loaf to create a beautiful, craggy crust. Making the bread in our cast-iron skillet gave it a great bottom crust and helped it bake through quickly and evenly. It was also key to choose the right beer for clean, subtle flavor without any sourness.
Notes
- We prefer to use a mild American lager, such as Corona, here; strongly flavored beers will make this bread bitter.
- I used Samuel Smith Pure Brewed Organic Lager purchased at Whole Foods along with a half-and-half blend of Lucerne Sharp Cheddar and Lucerne Queso Quesadilla pre-shredded cheeses and it was delicious.
Ingredients
- 12½ ounces all-purpose flour - 2½ cups
- ½ cup minced fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces Gruyère cheese - shredded (2 cups)
- 1¼ cups mild lager - such as Corona
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter - melted
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet.
Make the batter:
- Whisk the flour, chives, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper together in large bowl.
- Stir in 1½ cups Gruyère, breaking up any clumps, until coated with flour.
- Stir the beer and melted butter into the flour mixture until just combined. The batter will be heavy and thick; do not overmix.
Bake:
- Scrape the batter into the prepared skillet and smooth the top.
- Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup Gruyère.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through baking.
Cool and serve:
- Using potholders, transfer the skillet to a wire rack and let the loaf cool for 10 minutes.
- Being careful of the hot skillet handle, remove the loaf from the skillet, return it to the rack, and let it cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.