Cheddar Chili Beer Bread

37° and raining. That’s the forecast for the next week or so here in Seattle. Yuck. If it’s going to be that cold, it needs to be snowing. Huge pillowy flakes dumping from the sky. Fluffy mounds of white happiness. That’s what I’d like. Come on! The current weather conditions called for drastic measures in my kitchen. You know what I’m talking about…chili. Is there anything better on a winter day with a damp chill in the air? More on that tomorrow. First, the delicious beer bread I made to go with the chili. It’s full of sharp cheddar and totally non-hot green chili peppers. A perfect companion to a hearty bowl of warmth.

First of all, don’t be scared off by “self-rising flour” on the ingredients list. You can totally make your own from good old all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Yes, it’s that simple. See the bottom of this recipe for details.

Next we need some cheese. Mmmmm. Cheese. I used two kinds of sharp cheddar for a nice melty kick in the bread.

Throw in some roasted chili peppers – like this.

Get it all in the bowl with a little seasoning and some sugar. Then, in goes the beer. Glug, glug, glug. I used an IPA because somehow an errant bottle ended up in my house over the holidays, but I would suggest going with something a little milder. Like a Budweiser. My bread was delicious, but had just a slight hoppy taste to it. I think it would have been better with a lighter beer, so that’s what I’m recommending to you. Stir it all together til it is combined.

Now the best part. Instead of baking this bread in a traditional loaf pan, I decided to put it in a casserole dish. Why you ask? Two reasons. #1: Cornbread is bomb. And it is baked in a casserole dish, not a bread pan. #2: Anything that gives me more surface area to cover with the next ingredient is a winner. That’s right. We’re drizzling melted butter on this bad boy. Now, aren’t I a genius for making more places to drench in butter?

I’m all over the craggy crusty goodness of the top of this bread.

Perfect texture. Light, but full of flavor. Crusty on top and delightfully soft and warm in the middle with ribbons of tangy cheese and sweet peppers running thru it. Yum yum yum!

Cheddar Chili Beer Bread
adapted from Allrecipes.com

3 cups self-rising flour*
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup canned green chili peppers, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 8×11 casserole dish.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, beer, cheese and chilies. Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread batter to evenly fill pan. Pour melted butter on top of bread.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of bread comes out clean.

*To make your own self-rising flour put 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a 1 cup measuring cup. Fill with flour. Boom. 1 cup of self rising flour.