Honey Beer Bread & Grilled Beer and Cheese Sandwiches

One cooking memory that is distinctly contained in my head is the first time I made beer bread. I was well underage, holding what I recall now as a Budweiser over a bowl of flour. I mixed, I baked, I ate... I spit it out. Yep, not the best cooking memory. I don't know what I did to maul such a carbohydrate, but I was pretty inexperienced then and I'm sure I botched just about every step of the process.

My love: BUTTER!

Well, a lot of time has passed between now and then and things have changed. I love beer for its slight bitterness, tang and distinctive scent. I love bread for its soft interior and comforting chew. Together, I think they create something that I not only love, I adore. I attempted beer bread again and I was pleasantly surprised with how delicious it was. Soft, a bit sweet from the honey with a gorgeous browned crust. Beer bread is a bit more dense than others and has a different texture than your typical loaf, but it's easy to learn to love. 

Yeasty-beer-butter-goodness:

If you're in the mood for bread and have a fear of yeast like I do (as documented here): make this! It's easy as can be. Combine, mix, bake, slice, enjoy! Really, that's it. My ultimate favorite thing about beer bread is that it actually tastes like beer. When you pull it out of the oven, the distinctive smell of beer rushes into your nostrils. You sneak a taste and there it is, beer. It's awesome. Plus, if you make this honey beer bread, you can use it to make the utterly divine goodness that is grilled beer and cheese sandwiches (below). You... will... not... regret... it. Not one bit!

Slices like a dream...

Honey Beer Bread

Yields: 1 loaf

Original recipe here.

3 cups flour

2 tbsn. sugar

1 tbsn. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsn. warm honey

1 bottle (12 oz.) beer

4 tbsn. butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x5" loaf pan, set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir the beer and honey into the dry ingredients until just mixed, DO NOT OVER MIX! Pour half of the melted butter into the loaf pan. Spoon the batter into the pan and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until the top of the loaf is golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

I think the sole purpose of beer bread is to be made into this sandwich. Being a grilled beer and cheese sandwich is the life calling of beer bread. If only we all knew what our life purposes were; life would be so simple! Combine worcestershire-caramelized onions, cheese and beer bread and you really can't get any better than that. I challenge you, I really challenge you to try to make something more delicious. 

Ooey, gooey, crispy, creamy, tangy, sweet, crunchy deliciousness:

Grilled Beer and Cheese Sandwich

Yields: 4 servings

Adapted from here.

1 medium onion, sliced thinly
1 tbsn. olive oil

1 tbsn. Worcestershire sauce

4 tbsn. Dijon mustard

4 slices fontina cheese

4 slices cheddar cheese

8 slices homemade beer bread (recipe above)

salt and pepper
oregano, fresh or dried

In a medium pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until they begin to wilt. Add the worcestershire sauce, some fresh oregano (if using dried, use sparingly), and salt and pepper, to taste. Reduce the heat to medium and cook slowly until the onions start to caramelize and gain color. Once done, set aside. Spread 1 tbsn. of mustard on 4 slices of the beer bread. Pair up the bread slices. Top half of them with a slice of fontina cheese and the other half with a slice of cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with some pepper, then divide the caramelized onion among one side. Top with the other paired bread slice and grill, panini press or George Foreman the sandwiches until golden brown, cheesy, and thoroughly heated throughout. Enjoy!

Yea, this is for real.