Brewski.

I'm going to calm down with the recipe posts...

but only after I get to share this recipe with you today!! Mwahahaha.

I have a feeling this is going to become a popular post, because 1. It involves baking, and 2. It involves beer. And instantly, everyone is interested. I know, I understand you guys oh so well.

The other day, my mom told me to come up with a way to use the 15-year-old beer that's been collecting dust in the pantry.

Challenge accepted!

(Anyone else watch How I Met Your Mother? Or was that reference a fail?)

If you are like me and are too afraid of baking with yeast, this recipe is for you.

Whole Wheat Beer Bread (with Garlic Basil Spread)

[Adapted from this recipe]

Bread Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups whole wheat + 1 1/2 cups regular flour)
• 1 12 oz bottle of beer
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder

Spread Ingredients:

• 1 head garlic
• 2 teaspoons chopped basil (I used TJ's frozen basil cubes)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• salt

For the bread...

Mix together the dry ingredients.

Then slowly pour in the beer and whisk. 

It gets super foamy, but eventually it calms down. Keep whisking until a dough forms. I used my hands to mix it when it became a little drier and it was STICKY!

Line a small pan with foil and place the batter in it as uniformly as possible.

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes to an hour. The timing depends on the oven and how thick the batter is in the pan. To check if it's done, place a knife or toothpick through the bread, and if it comes out clean, it's ready.

I wanted to make an interesting spread for the bread. I could have used my strawberry jelly, but I wanted something savory! 

So, while the bread was baking in the oven, I covered an entire head of garlic in aluminum foil and stuck that in the oven as well (for 45 minutes).

The garlic becomes super mashable! First, peel the roasted garlic and place all of the cloves in a bowl and mash. Mix with the basil, olive oil, and salt.

This spread was super tasty. The bread is extremely dense (crusty on the outside, soft on the inside), and fortunately, the bread didn't have much of a beer-y taste!

And yes, I have since eaten multiple slices of this bread with my strawberry jelly and it is fantastic!! In fact, I ate it alongside a kale salad and celery sticks for dinner last night. I must say that by the end of that dinner my jaw hurt from chewing so much!

Stay tuned--I have lots of news for you guys tomorrow!