Tasty Tuesday - Beer Bread

Last week I went to a Tastefully Simple party... and if you've ever been to one, then you've tasted the yummy beer bread they have there. I really enjoy their products (I bought my fair share of them! and booked a party... PS. want to come to a Tastefully Simple party?), but beer bread is so easy to make, that it seems silly to waste my dollars on their pre-packaged stuff, when I could be spending my money on more Key-Lime Cheeseball.

My sister-in-law told me about how easy beer bread is to make... so I'm sharing her recipe with you. If you Google it, there are about five million delicious variations you can make - and what type of beer (or just about any carbonated beverage, for that matter) you use does change the taste a bit. (Lori swears by Coronoa- next time, I'm trying Blue Moon.)

I also want to add that I've made this with whole wheat flour (see the variation for if you don't use self-rising flour) and it was equally delicious.

Beer Bread

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
3 cups self-rising flour
3 tablespoons white sugar

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and flour. Add beer and continue to mix, first using a wooden spoon, then your hands. Batter will be sticky. (I just use my kitchen-aid.)

Pour into a 9 x 5 inch greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees ) for 50 for 60 minutes. The top will be crunchy, and the insides will be soft.

Notes and Variations:
If you don't have self-rising flour: substitute with 3c. regular flour, 3t. baking powder, 1 1/2 t. salt.

To get it closer to the Tastefully Simple kind, increase to 1/3 c. sugar and pour 2T - 1/4c. melted butter over the top of the loaf before you bake it.

Add in cheddar cheese for a more savory loaf.

I've also read reviews that suggest you let the bread "rise" in the pan for 30 minutes before you bake it for a lighter loaf... tried it this weekend, and I think it made a pretty tasty loaf, but I'm not sure how much different it was from when I just pop it in the oven.