On the Tenth day of Breadmas my Baker gave to me, Brown Butter Beer Bread! Who else loves alliteration? I will sometimes change the name of a recipe just so that it’s an alliteration. But enough about my oddness, it’s time for bread! And oh what a bread we have today. Originally inspired by Harry Potter, I wanted to make a Butterbeer bread. Upon realizing that most of the world interprets that as a cream soda style, non alcoholic drink, I decided to just go with what I was imagining. And it has been a favourite in our house ever since.
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Not Quite Harry Potter Beer Bread
So like I said, this beer bread was originally supposed to be a butterbeer bread, inspired by Harry Potter. But once I started working on it ages ago, I realized that I had the wrong idea about what butterbeer actually was. I guess I always imagined that it was a cream style ale, that was a bit sweet and a bit savoury, with a frothy head. Turns out most of the fandom interprets it as a non alcoholic cream soda style drink. Oh well. It did put me down a path to get to this beer bread though, so it all worked out.
Brown Butter
Brown butter is obviously a big part of this beer bread. If you’re unfamiliar with brown butter, no worries, it’s simple. Butter consists of two parts, the fat and the milk protein (or milk solids). If you melt a bunch of butter and then continue to cook it over medium low heat, the milk solids will separate from the fat and eventually they will begin to caramelize. They will take on a golden brown colour and gain a nutty flavour. When you stir the now browned milk solids back into the fat you get a rich, nutty tasting butter. The French call it Beurre Noisette, or Hazelnut Butter, because it’s really that nutty.
Brown butter is used as the fat in this beer bread and it gets dizzled on top of the batter in the pan before baking. Which gives the bread a crisp, crumble like top. I use salted butter for this recipe because I love the extra little kick of saltiness that complements the light sweetness of the bread. And the recipe below will leave you with extra brown butter that you should use as you would normal butter. On toast, with jam, it’s divine.
The Beer
The beer in this beer bread basically went into the recipe originally just so I could say it was there. But once I tasted it, I knew it was a more important part then just the name. The carbonation of the lager makes the texture of the bread almost cake like. It’s spongy and light, but still holds up to being put in the toaster. It is one of Mike’s favourites for cinnamon toast in the morning.
Don’t forget to go back and check out the first 9 days of Breadmas recipes if you’ve missed them. And keep following along by following me on Instgram (@dorkylittlehomestead). Only 2 more delicious days!
Focaccia with Herbs de Provence
Brown Butter Beer Bread
Equipment
- Loaf Pan
Ingredients
Brown Butter
- 1 cup Butter I prefer salted butter for this recipe.
Batter
- 3 1/2 cup Flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
- 473 ml Lager
- 1/4 cup Brown Butter
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla
- 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Drizzle
- 1 tsp Honey
- 2 Tbsp Brown Butter
Instructions
- Begin by making the brown butter. Put the cup of butter into a small pot on the stove over medium low heat. Melt fully and allow to bubble gently for about 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat once a thick layer of foam has formed and butter is a deep golden brown. Set aside.
- Heat the oven to 375F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the lager, brown sugar, vanilla, and 1/4 cup brown butter.
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine, but don't over mix. It should be just combined.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- In a small bowl make the drizzle by whisking together the butter and honey. Pour the mix over the top of the batter. Tilt the pan slightly to distribute. Don't worry if it doesn't spread all over.
- Bake the loaf for about an hour, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool fully on a wire rack before cutting.
- Store in the fridge for 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
LizaLeigh
