Christmas Ale Brown Bread

I’m really excited about this bread.  I hope this works out. 

For 2013, I am on a brown bread baking quest.  Something reminiscent of the great Irish brown bread, like the stuff we chomped on at the only open restaurant on Inisheer a couple years ago.  I pulled a promising recipe from Cooking Light, which I went to make this morning, but then realized that I had no eggs.  I only needed one, but we finished off the last of the eggs for breakfast (Mark's slow cooked eggs).  Mark, very economical in food consumption, looked at the seven eggs this morning and said, “Should I just scramble all seven or do you need one of these?” 

 “Nope, scramble all seven.”  I replied.

 No it’s really my fault, for not realizing I would need that egg for the awesome brown bread recipe.  I can take the heat.

 So, on to Plan B.  For years I’ve wanted to make this simple beer bread recipe from a cook book I got from my Mom a long time ago called “All American Comfort Food.”  It’s a simple, paperback cook book with no pictures, but a good read in my opinion.  For instance, the beer bread recipe’s preface reads:

Beer, honey, and bread are such a medieval combination you’ll have to pin up your hair with this one and throw chunks of it to the dogs under the table.  It also happens to be really good, and really good bread makes a lasting impression on anyone who eats it.

 Could it really be that good?  Really?  I mean, if this works out, it could be life changing.  A three ingredient bread?

 Here’s the recipe:

 3 cups self-rising flour

1 12-oz can beer (I used a bottle of Christmas Ale)
1 T honey

 Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.  In a large bowl combine the ingredients, mixing well.  Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until browned and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Turn out onto a wire rack and cool.  Makes 12 slices.

So far, so good.  Bread is baking and we are watching the Browns.  The season is over, and this is likely Shurmur’s last game (Hey Shurmer:  You can't take those time-outs with you), but they are making a game of it.  They even successfully faked a punt.