Beer Bread

I mentioned on Monday that the husband provided resounding approval for this Beer Bread, and, as usual, he really hit the nail on the head.

I've made beer bread from mixes before. If you've ever been to one of those home food parties where they bring out a platter piled with perfectly golden nuggets of beer bread and then offer you a  bowl of creamy spinach dip to dunk them in, you know the mix I'm talking about. And it's good. Real good. But what if I haven't been invited to a home food party where I can buy the mix in a while? What do I do then?

Well, I learn to make beer bread from scratch, that's what I do. And don't tell your friend who sells that home party beer bread mix, but the from-scratch stuff is just as good and (dare I even say it?) just as easy. Shhhh...

Beer Bread
Adapted from EzraPoundCake.com

3 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12 ounce) bottle beer
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Additional butter and honey, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan and set aside. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a spatula to gently fold the beer into the dry ingredients until just combined. (If you over-mix the dough, it could get dense and tough.)

Spoon batter into the prepared loaf pan. Pour melted butter on top of the butter.

Bake in preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm, preferably slathered with additional butter and honey.