Has it really been a whole month since the last installment of Secret Recipe Club? Eeesh. I don't know about anyone else, but these past few weeks have just flown by in a blur of activity. I still can't believe we're already a week into November!
This month, my SRC assignment is Lesa and her blog, Edesia's Notebook. Lesa is a busy stay-at-home-mom of two from Michigan, and her blog is chock-full of recipes for quick, easy and creative weeknight meals, including a bunch of really interesting slow cooker recipes that had me itching to dust off my long-neglected crockpot (she's even got recipe to make sandwiches in the crockpot, believe it or not!).
After poking around Lesa's blog for a bit, I decided to save the crockpot recipes for another day, because I really wanted to try the recipe for a savoury Apple Cheese Beer Bread that had caught my eye.
It was a pretty easy choice, to be honest. For one, I'm on a total apple kick right now, and I've yet to meet a savoury quickbread I didn't love. Plus this bread has cheese. And beer. Seriously, how could I pass up this recipe? It's got my name written all over it! :)
As always, I made a few changes as I went along - I doubled the amount of grated apple, added a little garlic, pepper and fresh sage to the sauteed apple mixture to give it a little extra flavour, and topped the loaf with a sprinkling of shredded cheddar partway through baking to give it a crispy, cheesy crust. I also decided to make one big loaf instead of two smaller ones, but that's just because I didn't want to buy a second loaf pan (yes, I'm lazy... I admit it).
The loaf turned out beautifully tender and moist, slightly sweet thanks to the grated apple, but still savoury enough to pair with a hearty stew. Surprisingly enough, the beer flavour is barely noticeable, despite having used a whole bottle of dark beer.
My only complaint is that the apple flavour isn't quite as pronounced as I'd like... next time around, I think I'll boost the grated apple up to 2 cups to see if I can get a more appley result without compromising the texture too badly.
That said, I'm still super-pleased with my secret recipe. We ended devouring most of the loaf with friends who came over for Sunday dinner, as an accompaniment for a vegetarian Guinness stew they'd brought along - the bread was a perfect pairing for the hearty stew, and everyone agreed that this recipe is a keeper. I'll definitely be making this one again!
//
- 1 cup grated peeled Cortland or Gala apple
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup shallots, minced
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 3 cups flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1½ cups dark beer or hard cider
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1¼ cup grated sharp cheddar, divided
- Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a standard loaf pan.
- Press the grated apples between two layers of paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible. Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat, and add apple and shallot. Saute for 7 minutes, or until soft. Stir in garlic, sage and pepper, and cook for 1 minute longer or until fragrant. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the cooked apple, beer, applesauce, and 1 cup shredded cheddar, and stir until just barely combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, and smooth out the top.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup cheddar. Return to the oven to bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tiffany says
I REALLY wish I had a slice of this bread right now!
Beth Michelle says
Great choice! This bread is so interesting and different. Looks amazing.
Joanne says
I love beer breads...which is strange because I don't really like beer HAHA. But I like cooking with alcohol...such good flavor!
Btw I LOVE the "crumbs" header at the top...so creative and cute!
Savannah says
I really enjoy making bread and I cannot wait to try this. Thanks for posting it. I am new to your site and I found you through SRC.
Christy says
I like the name quickbread! :)
Looks heavenly, and I don't think we should be restricted to having it only for breakfasts, but anytime of the day!:D
Isabelle says
Thanks, Christy. It's a rather appropriate name, no? I can't take credit for coining it, though - it's the traditional term for any savoury loaf leavened without yeast. :)
BTW, this is definitely not just a breakfast loaf. We enjoyed this one with stew for a Sunday dinner!
Delishhh says
This looks fabulous - YUM!
Jeff says
I agree with the above comment! The cheese layer is spectacular! What do you think is a good dish to serve alongside the bread?
Isabelle says
Thanks, Jeff. I like to think anything topped with cheese is automatically better. :)
We served the loaf with a Guinness stew our vegetarian friends prepared, and that was a pretty darn awesome combination. If you're inclined to something a little more carnivorous, though, a hearty beef stew or a pot roast would also be quite nice... especially if they're also made with beer! (Because beer also makes everything automatically better)
Jeff says
Would you have the recipe to such a stew stashed somewhere? Or a stew recipe somewhere in your repitoire that is comparable?
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
This looks awesome. I don't even like beer that much but something about it in breads can be great. I just made cookies with rum, so ya know :)
Pinned it!
Russell van Kraayenburg says
Here you go again with the cheese and apple! I guess I am missing out on quite a combination. That beer does sound inciting too.
Ruchi says
Wow... that sounds like an interesting combination! And it looks great!
Mary says
This bread sounds great. I've been looking at more savory breads lately and the cheese ones are calling my name!
MikeVFMK says
Izzy, this is a great loking loaf. Love savoury loaves, especially during the colder months. And apple with beer and cheese is a great combination!
rachelsdigestif says
This looks seriously yummmy!
Margaret says
Love this combo of flavors for a bread.
Carolyn says
I love cheese and beer bread, and the addition of apple is brilliant. Great choice for the SRC!
sippitysup says
No matter where the recipe came from you have put your sugnature all over it. GREG
Ilke says
Looks tasty, I will bookmark this. Seriously beer in the title draw me here:)
I wonder if you try different kinds of apple, would any other type give a better apple flavor instead of using more apples? I always get different results when I switch brands but then I can not remember next time which apple gave better flavor. Need to write down the notes, I guess.
Grubarazzi (@Grubarazzi) says
Great, now I have to go to the store just to get all of these ingredients. GREAT! <3
Jon @ vodkitchen says
Looks great. I love all three of these things - apple, beer and cheese! Just discovered your blog and enjoying reading it.
Isabelle says
Thanks for dropping me a note, Jon. Always glad to have new visitors! Hope you're enjoying the blog so far. :)
Samantha says
Gosh darn it I just had dinner Isabelle! What are you doing to me! This looks friggin awesome! I love the cheese on top too.
XO
Sam
Isabelle says
Mwahahahahaha! My evil plan to make you crave a second dinner has succeeded. :) (OK, so maybe I came up with the plan after I read this comment... but even so, victory is mine!)
susie says
this does look tasty, I would like the beer more pronounced...may have to experiment on soup night! thanks for popping by my blog....crack fries...LOL you are right on about that!
sara says
This looks fantastic! I love savory quick breads...so yummy, and way less of a time investment than yeasted breads. :) The flavors here sound really delicious!
Also wanted to say thanks for the Eggplant Parm Pasta Bake recipe I made of yours for this month's SRC...I really loved the dish and will definitely be making it again! Thanks for sharing a wonderful recipe!
Nutmeg Nanny says
Love all the flavors in this bread! Apple, beer and cheddar...yum!
Cooking Rookie says
What a beautiful bread! I love apple bread, and I made cheese bread for my last SRC assignment (and made it again the following week). But I would never think of combining the two. I have to try your recipe. And the pics look great :-)
Isabelle says
I honestly never thought to use beer as a base for a quickbread before I found this recipe, but now that I've tried it, I'm totally hooked.
A non-apple version sounds like it would be really nice, especially if I wanted something that was straight-up savoury and less sweet. Must check out your blog post!
Lisa~~ says
I'm not a "real" bread maker but this quick bread I could do and it looks wonderful, great SRC choice.
If you haven't already, I'd love for you to check out my SRC recipe this month: Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens.
Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook
cherylK says
Looks scrumptious! I've got lots of apples but mine are Honeycrisp. I'll bet they'd work great so I'm going to give it a go.
Lesa @Edesia's Notebook says
Wow, I had totally forgotten about that bread! Apparently one of the very few recipes on my blog that doesn't have a pic; whoops!
Glad you enjoyed it. I'm going to have to dust it off and make it again sometime soon. Thanks for reminding me about it! :)
Isabelle says
Obviously, the recipe speaks for itself... even without a pic, I was dying to try it out. :) Thanks for sharing such a great recipe, Lesa!
Laurie {Simply Scratch} says
Totally loving this bread! Great recipe!
Kiri W. says
How interesting! I love the cheese layer, looks wonderful! I haven't had apple in a beer-cheese-bread yet, but I think I'd like it a lot. :)