So, Mr. P is a homebrewer. What does that mean? It means more often than not, we have fresh, delicious beer on tap in our house. Right now, for instance, we have a keg of his signature pale ale in our basement beer fridge. Is that why I married him? No, of course not. I mean, it’s not the ONLY reason. I don’t feel bad about that though because I think he would have a similar answer if asked about my cooking.

Speaking of which, for dinner tonight, we’re having chili. I’m home from work because of all the snow, and chili is really the perfect meal to be snowed in with. It’s in the slow cooker right now, making the whole house smell warm and delicious. To accompany chili, I usually make corn bread. But today there’s a keg of beer at my disposal. And everyone knows that if you’re cooking with beer, you get to drink a beer too. It’s a rule. Happy Snow Day to me!

So, Cheesy Beer Bread it is! How can any recipe that combines cheese and beer in bread form be anything but delicious?

Cheesy Beer Bread

3 ½ c all purpose flour

3 T sugar

1 T baking powder

1 ½ t salt

12 oz beer (I’m using pale ale, but this is great with a brown ale or wheat beer too. I would avoid IPAs though.)

1 c shredded cheese (I’m going with cheddar today)

2 T butter, melted, plus more softened butter for greasing the pan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Add beer and mix with a fork until just incorporated.

The dough will end up very dry.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and add cheese. Gently fold and turn dough with floured hands until cheese is incorporated and dough forms a ball. Again, be careful not to overwork the dough- the bread will end up tough if you do!

Butter the sides of a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and place dough in pan. Brush dough with melted butter.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in top comes out clean. Run a knife around the sides of the baking dish, flip the bread out, and let cool on a cutting board or wire rack for about 10 minutes.

The bread should be crusty with a very soft interior. Serve with your favorite soup or chili and a nice slathering of butter.

It’s also great toasted for breakfast the next day.

Cheers!