Season of Bread and Bonfires

 We live on the fringe of the woods, a mile's walk from the Bay of Fundy on the North Mountain.  Christmas here means a big family trip to the woods to choose a sparse-but-beautiful tree.  We're not going to miss the opportunity to build a big roaring fire to sit around.  And if you give an Osburn a fire to sit around, she's going to want a snack.  Or a full-on meal.

For this occasion, my Mom was bringing baked beans.  I wanted to bake brown bread, but with only an hour before the slated trip, that was impossible.

I flipped through a few cookbooks and adapted a beer bread recipe to suit.  It's a quick bread, so it only takes about 50 minutes from start to finish.  I added molasses and used a bottle of St-Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale. It baked up to be a very respectable stand in, with the added bonus of fruity, yeasty ale-iciousness.  In this season of soups and stews, a loaf of this will fit in very nicely at your next gathering or potluck.

Locally, I think this bread would be equally wonderful made with Propeller's Honey Wheat or Pale Ale, or anything you like (maybe not stout, but you never know!)  One more note: the bread disappeared before I could take a picture. Had it lasted, I would have eaten it toasted the next day with a big piece of cheese.  It will keep for a few days if given the chance.

Hoppy New Year!!


This time last year: Back to School Pancakes

Molasses and Ale Bread

1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 C. All Purpose Flour
1/2 C. Oatmeal
2 T. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Baking Soda
1/2 t. Salt
3 T. Brown Sugar
1/3 C. Molasses
1 341 ml. bottle Beer

Preheat oven to 350°.  Butter a loaf pan.  In a  large bowl, whisk the flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar and salt.  Add the molasses and beer and stir until just combined.  Scrape into the loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.  Cool on a rack or wrap in a towel on your way out the door!