Swiss Cheese Beer Bread

I got this bread recipe from my fabulous sister ages and ages and ages ago, and it has popped up to make an appearance now and then over the past 8 or 9 years.  This bread is totally amazing, and I pledge right now to make it way more often, because whoa.  Yum.  This cheesy beer bread is studded with chunks of gooey, melty, toasty Swiss cheese, and I just want to eat the whole thing.  Note: You may want to place a pan or something underneath the bread pans in the oven just in case the Swiss cheese chunks drip.

Beer Swiss Bread

12 ounces beer

½ cup hot water

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

2 Tablespoons butter

8 ounces processed Swiss or American cheese

4 ½ teaspoons yeast

5 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour

8 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into ¼ inch cubes

In a large saucepan, combine the beer, hot water, sugar, salt, butter, and processed cheese and heat until steaming (or microwave in a large microwaveable bowl).  Cool until warm (about 110°F).

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and yeast.  Pour in the warm cheese mixture and mix until combined.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough starts to smooth out.  Knead in the Swiss cheese cubes until evenly distributed and the dough is smooth and elastic.  Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl, and lightly grease the top of the dough.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rice about 1 hour or until double in size. 

Lightly grease 2 8x4 inch loaf pans (you can use 9x5 loaf pans, but the bread will not rise quite as high).  Punch the dough down and divide in two equal pieces.  Shape each piece of dough into about a 12x6 inch rectangle.  Cut each rectangle lengthwise into three 2-inch strips, leaving them joined at one end.  Braid the strips, then tuck the ends under and place in the prepared pans.  Place the bread in a warm place and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise about 45 minutes, or until the dough has risen over the pan about ½ inch.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Bake the loaves for 30 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and done in the center.  If the loaves brown too quickly, cover with foil.  Remove the bread from the oven and turn out of the pans onto a cooling rack.  Makes 2 loaves.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

No Knead Cheddar Jalapeno Beer Bread

I have been making no knead beer bread for quite some time and it is one of the best artisan no knead bread recipes I have ever made.  It is flavorful and delicious and so so simple!  It's hard to believe that you put so little effort in and get such an amazing product out!  I received an abundant amount of jalapenos last week, and have been trying to use them up.  I had the idea to do a cheddar jalapeno zucchini bread and the flavor was amazing (although the texture had some difficulties...).  It was so amazing, that I immediately knew that I had to turn it into my favorite no knead beer bread.  So that's what I did, and oh man is it ever good.  I may have made a meal out of it twice this week.  My recipe makes 2 loaves, but you can easily cut the recipe in half to make just one.  Why you would want to, though, is beyond my capacity to understand.  This bread needs to rise for 8 to 18 hours, so plan ahead.  I make this dough the night before I want to bake it.

No Knead Cheddar Jalapeno Beer Bread

6 cups (30 ounces) all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup beer, room temperature
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
2-3 jalapenos, seeded and sliced into rings
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
6 ounces cubed cheddar cheese

In a large bowl (I actually use a 21 cup, which is about 1.3 gallons, tupperware container with a lid), stir together the flour salt and yeast.  Add the water, beer, and vinegar and stir until there is no standing liquid.  Add the jalapenos, shredded cheese, and cubed cheese, and continue stirring the dough until a shaggy looking ball forms, making sure to scrape up the dry flour from the bottom of the bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, or cover the tupperware container with the lid, only pressing down on 2 corners, and let the dough sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours.

Line an oval dutch oven or french oven  (8 quart size) with parchment paper, or 2 round 10 inch dutch or french ovens.  If you don't have a dutch or french oven, you can use a heavy bottomed pot with a lid, but you will have the best results with a dutch or french oven.  Spray the parchment paper lightly with cooking spray.  Remove the dough from the bowl or tupperware container, and knead on a floured surface several times.  Divide the dough into two equal portions and form each portion into a ball.  If using a large oval french oven, place the two dough balls seam side down on opposite sides of the french oven.  If using two smaller french ovens, place one dough ball in each.  Lightly spray the top of the dough with cooking spray, then loosely cover with plastic wrap.  Let the dough rise for about 2 hours.

About 30 minutes before baking the bread, carefully remove the bread dough from the french oven, using the parchment paper as a sling to lift it out, and place dough on the counter.  Put the lid on the french oven and place it in the oven.  Preheat the oven to 500F.  When the oven has preheated and is ready, remove the plastic wrap from the bread dough and lightly dust the dough with flour.  With a very sharp knife or razor blade, make a long slash about 1/2 inch deep in the top of each dough ball.

Carefully remove the preheated french oven from the oven and remove the lid.  Again using the parchment paper as a sling, carefully lift the dough and place in the french oven.  If the parchment paper hangs over the sides, it is okay.  Put the lid on the french oven and place in the preheated oven.  Immediately lower the oven temperature to 425F, and bake the bread, covered, for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and continue baking the bread for 15 to 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.  Remove the french oven from the oven and carefully take the bread out, again using the parchment as a handle.  Place the bread on a cooling rack.  If you don't eat both loaves immediately, you can place the remaining loaf in a 450F oven for about 5 to 7 minutes to crisp up the crust.  Makes 2 loaves.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Swiss Cheese Beer Bread

Several years ago, my sister gave me this recipe.  I made it.  I loved it.  I might have even eaten half of it standing at the oven as soon as it was cool enough to touch.  However, I have not made it since then.  Four-ish years is soooo way too long to go without this bread.  This bread is moist and flavorful with a delicious excess of ridiculously desirable melted cheese pockets (some of which are golden and toasty).  Are you hungry yet?

Swiss Cheese Beer Bread

12 ounces beer
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces processed Swiss cheese
5 cups all purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
8 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

In a large saucepan, combine the beer, water, sugar, salt, butter, and processed Swiss cheese.  Heat until just steaming and the cheese is partially melted.  Let cool until just warm.

In a large mixing bowl, stand mixer, combine 2 cups of flour, and the yeast.  Add the beer mixture and beat until combined.  Add the rest of the flour, a 1/2 cup at a time until the dough comes together and is not sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and spread the Swiss cheese cubes over it.  Knead in the cheese until the dough becomes smooth.  Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Grease 2 9x5 inch loaf pans.  Punch down the dough and divide in half.  Pat each half into a roughly 12x6 inch rectangle.  Cut the dough lengthwise into 3 even strips, leaving the dough attached at one end.  Braid the dough strips together, tucking under the ends.  Place the braided loaves in the prepared pans.  Cover the loaves loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise about 45 minutes or until the dough has risen about 1/2 inch above the pan. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Bake the bread for 30 to 45 minutes, until they are golden brown.  Remove loaves from the oven and immediately turn the bread out of the pans and let cool on a cooling rack.  Makes 2 loaves.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Beer Bread

Beer bread is yet another one of my mom's famous recipes that I absolutely had to have. Because I cannot live without it. Neither will you, trust me. As an artisan bread, the crust is very chewy, while the inside is moist and full of flavor. Need another reason to make it? Here it is: it's easy. You throw this no-knead dough together and let it sit until you want to bake it. The longer the dough sits, the more the rich flavor develops. You will fall in love with this dense, flavorful bread. Guaranteed. This bread is usually made with a dutch oven, but if you're like me and dutch-oven-less, don't sweat it. My brilliant mother provided me with alternate baking instructions which I will, in turn, share with you.

3 C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, plus additional for dusting work surface
1/4 tsp Instant Yeast
1 1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 C plus 2 T Water, at room temperature
1/4 C plus 2 T Mild-Flavored Lager (I used Budweiser)
1 T White Vinegar

1. Whisk flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add water, beer, and vinegar. Using a rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8-18 hours.

2. Lay 12x18 inch sheet of parchment paper inside a 10 inch skillet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10-15 times. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. Transfer dough, seam0side down, to parchment-lined skillet and spray surface of dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours.

3. About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place 6-8 qt heavy-bottomed dutch oven (with lid) on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly flour top of dough and, using a razor blade or sharp knife, make one 6 inch long, 1/2 inch deep slit along the top of the dough. Carefully remove pot from oven and remove lid. Pick up dough by lifting parchment overhang and lower into pot. Cover pot and place in oven. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown, about 20-30 minutes longer. Carefully remove bread from pot. Transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

** If you don't have a dutch oven, just form your loaves into rounds after they have been kneaded. Put on a jelly-roll pan with parchment paper that has been lightly greased. Let them rise for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 450. Put an extra pan in the oven for steaming water. After oven reaches temperature, put loaves that have been slashed into the oven along with a cup of hot water. Cook for about 10 minutes and then reduce oven temperature to 350. Cook for another 20-30 minutes.

Mahlzeit!
-Coriaunty