Gruyère Beer Bread

I’m making a delicious beef stew for dinner tonight, and thought this rich, cheesy bread would be a perfect complement to the hearty, savory stew. Gruyère is generally known as one of the finest cheeses for baking, having a distinctive but not overpowering taste. It also melts amazingly well. I’ve used mozzarella in this bread also, but nothing compares to the real deal sweet/salty Gruyère. Plus, it’s just fun to say…grü-ˈyer — rhymes with eclair. 🙂

Gruyère Beer Bread (America’s Test Kitchen)

2 1/2 C all purpose flour
4 oz (about 1 cup) Gruyère cheese, shredded
3 T sugar
4 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 1/4 C beer – I used a Henry’s Private Reserve…but really any light ale, lager or pilsner will work great
4 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 T extra for brushing on top of bread

Heat the oven to 375°. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.

Stir the flour Gruyère, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Stir in the beer and melted butter until just combined. Do not overmix.

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth the top and brush lightly with extra melted butter (about 1 T). Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached, 40-45 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.

Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn t onto a wire rack and allow to cool for 1 hour before serving.