Beer+Bread-an+alternative+to+all+other+homemade+breads



Years ago, I used to love winter weekends; a time to bake scratch breads and fill the house with that clean, yeast smell of rising dough that turns into anticipation as the dough bakes into fresh bread. I had learned the power of yeast from watching my mother bake bread as a child. Then, as a science educator, I encouraged kids to "mess" with yeast as an [|inquiry] into integrated life-physical science concepts. You can learn a lot from taking the time to bake bread or watching kids figure out how yeast works. In a way, both experiences provided me with a sense of how getting our hands into learning enriches understanding in ways we just can't get from reading about it in a book. I think, even for adults, learning through sensory experience takes us to an entirely different space than our participation in passive learning events. Baking bread t'is one way to find that out.

When I became a young mom working full-time in the late '80s, my time in the kitchen became truncated. I found myself baking less and buying more bread but nothing was a substitute for those moments of creating bread from scratch. Then, a friend of mine who knew how much I liked fresh bread and soup shared a recipe with me that has become a household staple for winter weekends - and to this day nothing's better from my recipe "book" than hot soup and a slab of beer bread slathered in fresh butter - or not. So, take the time to grab the most simple of household baking ingredients and make some beer bread.

WARM BEER BREAD

Grease any old (or new) bread pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix ingredients together and place in pan. Bake for approx. 45-55 minutes or until brown on top. Serve warm with butter- and soup!

2 and 3/4 cup **self-rising flour** 2 tbs sugar 1 room temp regular beer ( I recommend robust vs. light beer)

add in 3 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt
 * if using all-purpose flou**r

See several of the 2009-10 Blizzard recipes for companions to your bread.