Cheddar Chile Beer Bread
By: Cinnamon Girl
Published: Friday, January 29, 2010 - 9:48am

Ingredients




1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour (run a fork through it before measuring)
1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour (run a fork through it before measuring)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
12 ounces Beer (any kind will work)
2 cups shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (I used White)
4 ounces cans Green Chiles, chopped, with juices
Optional Topping:
1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds
1 teaspoon Poppy Seeds
1 teaspoon Caraway Seeds
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a loaf pan. 2 In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. 3 Add the green chiles, cheddar, and beer. Stir until combined. Batter will be very thick. 4 Scrape it out into the loaf and spread it out evenly. 5 Sprinkle the seeds and salt over the top. Gently press them into the batter using your fingers. 6 Turn oven down to 400 degrees. Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from center. 7 Cool on wire rack 15 minutes, turn out from pan and continue cooling while you sample!

About


The bread has a chewy crust and a soft, tender, incredibly moist but dense crumb.  The flavor is lightly reminiscent of beer, with little melted pockets of Cheddar and Green Chiles dotted throughout. The crust is loaded like an 'everything' bagel with poppy, caraway and sesame seeds, along with a light sprinkle of sea salt. It added an extra dimension of flavor and enhanced the already delicious crust even further. I'm quite sure it would be just fine without the topping and a light scatter of cheese instead. And without the Green Chiles or with Jalapenos in their place.