This week we pay homage to the French with a cheesy bread for Bastille Day – posting date is July 17!
Cheesy Bastille Day Beer Bread
Author:
Serves: 1 9- by-5-inch (23-by-12-cm) loaf • 12 servings
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (115 g) Comté cheese, shredded
- 3 cups (385 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ancho chile powder (optional)
- 4 ounces (115 g) Pyrenees Brebis cheese or other semisoft sheep’s-milk cheese, cut into ½-inch (12-mm) cubes
- 1¼ cups (10 ounces/300 ml) beer
- 1 large egg, beaten lightly
- ¼ cup (55 g) sour cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and position a rack in the center. Spray a 9-by-5-inch (23-by- 12-cm) loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Sprinkle approximately 1 ounce (30 g) of the Comté over the bottom of the pan in an even layer.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and the ancho chile powder, if using. Stir in the Brebis and 2 ounces (55 g) of the Comté, making sure each piece is completely coated in flour. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the beer, egg, sour cream, and butter.
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, using a rubber spatula to fold together until they are completely combined. Do not overmix.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Smooth the top and sprinkle with the remaining 1 ounce (30 g) Comté. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until the top is browned and the loaf is cooked all the way through, 45 to 55 minutes; insert a toothpick into the center of the bread to check for doneness—it should come out clean (except perhaps for some melted cheese). Remove from the oven and place the loaf on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Slice and serve; the bread can also be toasted before serving.
Notes
[i]How to store: [/i]The bread will keep, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days. It also freezes really well—wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, before freezing.
What type of beer do you guys think would work best here?
I think most any beer would work – I’m using a Mirror Pond Pale Ale because I have it on hand. I thought about grabbing an IPA – but I didn’t want the bitterness to come through. Pale ale is a nice safe choice.
Cool, thanks– beer is definitely not my area of expertise. ;-)
I’ve used a milk stout, a pumpkin ale, and an amber ale with great success. I agree – pretty much any beer that isn’t an IPA will work.
I did try using an IPA once and the bread turned out really, really bitter – it was kind of tragic.
Yikes! I got a Samuel Smith Pale Ale, which should be malty according to the description on the label. I like their chocolate and oatmeal stouts for baking, so I figured I’d give it a whirl. I’m not a beer drinker, so I appreciate the help! :)