Forget chickens and eggs. What came first – bread or beer?

Well the answer’s bread but it’s a closer call than many of you may think. Beer and bread share an ancient history together that spans back over eight thousand years to Sumeria (modern day Iraq) where it was commonplace to use bread to make beer.

The exact circumstances behind the first brews have been blurred by time, but it is generally considered that a Sumerian baker accidently left some bread dough outside in an earthenware bowl where it was soaked in a downpour and then heated by the sun, turning the bowl into a kind of mash tun and open fermenter all in one.

I still struggle to see why anyone would have thought of drinking the sludge in the bowl but apparently someone did, discovering the pleasing effects of alcohol in the process. The rest, as they say, is history.

Far more appealing than drinking bread-flavoured beer is eating beer-flavoured bread. I’ve called this recipe ‘One-Handed Beer Bread’ because it’s so easy to make you can do it with one hand tied behind your back.

Beer bread is cheap and simple to make

This is what you’re going to need:

Ingredients
all-purpose flour 430 g
granulated sugar 16 g
salt 6 g
baking powder 16 g
beer 330-355 ml (The darker the beer the darker and more ‘heavy’ the flavour. Just experiment to find your favourite combination)
Optional glaze 1 egg & 2 tsp (10 ml) water, beaten. This gives the loaf’s crust a beautiful, dark golden colour.

.

.And here’s what you need to do:

Heat oven to 375F/190C degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Spread in a greased 20cm loaf pan, brush with egg glaze if desired, and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the centre comes out clean.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool for 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. This bread will keep for 1-2 days stored in a plastic bag or airtight container and it can be frozen. Makes one loaf.

Oh and it goes great dipped in beef stew or with cheese!