Alton Brown | Tampa Food Dude

Cheddar and Dill Beer Bread!!

Every year my friends throw a Black Friday party. This year their theme is “Cheers to Beer” and will revolve around beer themed recipes. I decided to roll the dice and try to make Alton Brown’s Cheddar and Dill Beer Bread. Now I’ve stated on multiple occasions that I’m NOT a baker. It’s too precise and I’m much more of an “eyeball” it type of cook. That being said, it came out much better than I expected. Here’s the recipe: Ingredients

8 ounces all-purpose flour
4 ounces whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
4 1/2 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
12 ounces cold beer, ale or stout (I used a pale ale; specifically a Blue Moon Rounder Belgian-Style Pale Ale)
1 to 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, optional

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat the inside of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with the nonstick spray and set aside. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, wheat flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and dill in a large mixing bowl. Add in the cheese and stir in the beer just to combine. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds, if using. Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 210 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Really loved how this came out. The crust is crunchy, the inside is chewy and oozing with cheese. I’m sure someone will inevitably bring a beer cheese soup or a beer chili and this stuff will go perfectly with it, especially paired with a nice fall beer. I plan on tinkering with this recipe in the near future. I’m thinking a version of this with some jalapenos and then maybe a batch with a good smoked ale and maybe some smoked gouda instead of the pale ale and cheddar. Tried a beer bread before? Leave a message in the comments! And remember… the food abides…