This recipe is compliments of my cousin Joan. I am highly pleased that this simple bread is so delicious. It is fine with butter spread on it and it is excellent as buttered toast.

I found some other recipes that suggest variations by adding cheeses or herbs or spices, and I will be enjoying those too. Think 1 1/2 cups of mixed grated Cheddar and Gruyère cheeses for one loaf of bread.

Thanks, Joan! What a nice break from more complicated yeast bread recipes!

Ingredients:

3 cups of all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. of salt

4 1/2 tsp. of baking powder

3 tbsp. of sugar

12 oz. of beer

1/2 stick of butter

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a bread pan with Pam® or other cooking oil spray, or wipe it lightly with vegetable oil.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a 2 quart bowl.

Add the beer while stirring with a large wooden spoon and then mix the dough thoroughly.

Dump the dough into the bread pan and pack it to avoid air pockets and spread it evenly.

Bake the bread at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven to a wooden cutting board.

Melt the 1/2 stick of butter in a small cup in the microwave oven (about 20 seconds) and then brush the melted butter evenly over the top of the bread with a pastry brush.

Return the bread to the oven and bake it for 10 more minutes, then remove it and put in on the wooden cutting board.

Allow the bread to cool in the bread pan for five minutes, then cut around the outside sides and the ends of the bread with a knife to help release the bread from the bread pan, then dump the bread on to the cutting board.

Let the bread cool to room temperature, then wrap it in plastic wrap and put it into a Ziploc® freezer bag, with most of the air expelled, to keep it fresh.

Once cool the bread slices nicely with a serrated bread knife.

Enjoy!