beer bread with pears

beer bread is super easy, since the yeast in beer is yeasty enough to make the bread rise.  this recipe is a great way to use up really ripe fruit or a beer that you took a chance on and hate.  in my case, it was a Blue Moon Caramel Apple Spice beer and a dying pear.  I've made regular ol' beer bread with this recipe in the past (and an oatmeal stout beer) and liked it, so I thought I'd toy with it.  the result was pretty good - not really sweet, but not really savory.  next time, I'd probably bump up the amount of sugar a bit, add some vanilla, and try adding more fruit if I have it.

beer bread with pears
active time: 5 minutes | cook time: 60 minutes  |  yields: one loaf (6 to 8 slices)
adapted from here
ingredients
3 cups sifted flour
3 teaspoons baking powder - omit if using Self-Rising Flour
1 teaspoon salt - omit if using Self-Rising Flour
1/4 cup sugar (next time: bump up to 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
(next time: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla)
1 (12 ounce) can/bottle beer
1 chopped pear or apple
1/4 cup melted butter

directions
preheat oven to 375 F degrees.  

mix dry ingredients and beer.  add a little water, if necessary, to get everything all mixed.

mix in chopped fruit.

pour into a greased loaf pan.

pour melted butter over mixture.  sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired.

bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.

notes
- pouring butter over top before baking creates a very hearty bread with a crunchy, buttery crust. alternatively, mixing the melted butter into the dough results in a softer crust.
- you can omit the sweet stuff to make a savory bread.
- try using rosemary and lemon juice or oregano or other dried herbs/spices instead of the sweet stuff.

horrible photo courtesy of my cell phone.  deal with it.

whole wheat bread in a crock pot

who doesn't love the smell of fresh-baked bread?  and who can help but love coming home to a warm, slow-cooked meal?  tonight was spaghetti night, and nothing goes better than crusty bread to sop up that sauce.  thanks to good ol' pinterest, I didn't have to leave the house to get a loaf and I didn't have to babysit a hot oven all evening.  I yoga-ed and dodged raindrops instead.

this is a quick peasant bread, meaning that its pretty dense and not particularly tall. (this is one of those moments where I'd love to have a peasant friend so I could add something funny here about his or her lack of smarts and height challenges, but I don't currently know any, so...).  there's no resting the dough, so it won't rise much but will save a ton of time.  it's a solid side for soups, stews, chilis, and soppin' up sauces.

whole wheat bread in a crock pot
adapted from here
active time: 15 minutes | cook time: 1 1/2 to 3 hours, depending on the crock pot | yield: 1 6-inch diameter round loaf

ingredients
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (could use honey)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking yeast
1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (don't do what I did and accidentally triple this because you're not paying close attention to your fractions when you halve a recipe.  whoops.  I noticed it in the end result...the Boy did not.  he's got a pretty sophisticated palette.)

directions
stir together the water, sugar and yeast, and let sit 8-10 minutes for the yeast to bubble.

add 1 cup of the whole wheat flour to the yeast mixture, followed by the olive oil and salt.  stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to develop the gluten in the wheat.

gradually mix in as much of the remaining flour as you need to create a dough that does not stick to your hands, but remains slightly sticky.   knead 3 to 4 minutes, adding flour when dough becomes sticky.  shape dough into a ball.  (optional: for decoration, make a few cuts [or a cute shape, see below] on the top of the bread with a sharp knife, cutting approximately 1/4-inch deep.)

spray the crock pot with non-stick cooking spray (could use parchment) and place the ball of dough in the middle.  cover the cooker with 2 layers of paper towels and top with the lid.  bake on LOW until the top and sides are lightly browned (1 1/2 to 3 hours - I popped the lid about an hour in and probably shouldn't have.  I think a lot of heat escaped and made my cooking time insanely longer).  remove with a metal or silicone-tipped tongs.  cool on wire rack.