It doesn't get much better than beer bread: mix, bake, slather with butter, smile. Repeat last two steps until satisfied. What's better, all the dry ingredients can be mixed together ahead of time and the only required liquid comes in its own self-contained bottle - this makes beer bread mixes one of our standby gifts for foodies, beer-lovers, and just about everyone else!
Last Minute Gift Idea: Beer Bread Mix
Un-Gift Guide 2008
Aside from being a snap to make, we also love that beer bread is endlessly versatile. To a basic recipe, we can add freshly grated cheese, herbs, dried fruit, or even bits of hard sausage. We also like to play around with the kind of beer we use (or include with the mix). There are a lot of great holiday beers in stores right now and these tend to have lots of warming, aromatic spices that translate really well into baked form!
One of our favorite recipes comes from Susan over at A Year in Bread. She also has some great suggestions for variations:
• Susan's Beyond Easy Beer Bread from A Year in Bread
When it comes to gift-giving, we like to put the dry mix in a canning jar and then use a nice ribbon to tie it to the bottle of beer. If you're feeling extra fancy, you can add the dry ingredients to the jar one at a time for a layered look. We've also definitely poured the dry mix in a zip-lock bag and thrown everything into a handy holiday gift bag when we're in a pinch!
Another idea is to include a loaf pan with the bread mix and package everything right inside the pan. This is an especially good idea if you're unsure whether your gift recipient actually owns a bread pan!
Don't forget to write out the instructions for making the beer bread on a pretty recipe card and tuck that into the package. In case you missed it, those instructions were "Mix, bake, slather with butter, smile. Repeat last two steps until satisfied."
Enjoy!
Related: Good Recipe for a Crowd: Beer Braised Short Ribs
(Image: Flickr member Kitchen Wench licensed under Creative Commons)
Tags
Holidays - Christmas, Inspiration, Winter, Baking Products, Slinks, meal helper, Holidays - Hanukkah, gift idea, beer, quick bread, Un-Gift Guide 2008, beer bread, mixesRelated Links
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um, i wished you showed a picture of actual beer bread, instead of zucchini basil bread. i got so excited for the wrong thing.
view pedalpowered's profile
Whoa. I agree with pedalpowered. If I didn't like you guys so much, I'd call that lazy. Zucchini Basil Bread ≠ Beyond Easy Beer Bread.
view squidlette's profile
Aw, dang, you guys caught me. I couldn't find a good picture of beer bread and thought I could get away with another quick bread. I'll replace it with my back-up picture!
view EmmaC's profile
again, spooky...I just commented on the recent post about brown butter penne, that it was coincidentally what I had been planning to make for dinner tonight, now I see this. I started packaging beer bread mixes last night and planned to finish tonight. I've been using Susan's recipe with rye and carroway seeds in it. The bread is great. But now I'm starting to think thekitchen is stalking me.
view s and the r's profile
Very clever... perhaps I'll use this!
Emily
view Emily Sneds's profile
I just made this last night. Soooooo good! I used Jubelale pale ale and made the wheat version. I don't think I have ever had such a dense bread. Definitely don't eat right out of the oven. It is way to beery tasting. I thought it was even better today at room temp. I have been nibbling on it with cherry butter. I also got the aluminum free baking powder like she suggests. It was perfect! Thanks for such an easy bread recipe. It will be great for game nights!
view mamaspank's profile
Oh my god. I am making that right now, and then I'm going to blog about it myself.
view AMLitt's profile
For the most memorable season of giving ever more and more people were would probably need a payday loan and some last minute gift ideas. This website provide great last minute gift ideas including ideas for themed gifts. There are ideas for a simple fruit basket, or a New Year's Eve basket with blowers, hats, silly string and sparkling cider. Or there's the Hawaiian themed basket with a flower lay, macadamia nuts, a can of pineapple and a CD of Hawaiian music. Kids love watching a bird feeder outside the kitchen window, so for them there's a bird feeder and birdseed. How about cookie mix, frosting and sprinkles tied with a bow and attach a cookie cutter for the baker? Or maybe a breakfast basket for my friend who complains she never has time for breakfast: cereal bowls, Captain Crunch, Pop Tarts, pancake mix and syrup.
No matter what I decide on, I can get a payday loan and give the Christmas gifts I need to give, and then pay off the loan in January. Sounds like a win-win to me.
view Paul T's profile