Jed Bread

My friend Jed drives a lot for his work so he listens to talk radio religiously. He came across this recipe when he was driving and even stopped to write the recipe down. Jed told me we had to try this "beer bread" he heard from the radio. I was skeptical at first because the recipe contained only three ingredients and seemed too simple. But he said the people on the radio were eating it and were remarking how good it tasted! So we tried the recipe and it turned out great! It is so easy to make that there is no reason to not have freshly baked bread.

Jed Bread is a dense, hearty bread. The crust is sweet and crackly and has the most delightful toothsome texture. Everybody agreed the crust was the best part! The interior of the bread was dense and sponge-like, great for soaking up soup and chili. A great thing about this recipe is you can add pretty much anything to the bread. Later that week, Jed tried banana and cheddar jalapeno. Both were successes. For my batch of Jed Bread I'd like to brush a little honey on top. and maybe one with chocolate chips.

For this recipe it is important to preheat the oven. Once you mix the beer and the flour mixture, it will start to react and rise immediately and you need to get it into the oven. Otherwise you will end up with a too dense bread that will be dough-y in the center. No bueno.

Jed Bread
3 cups self-rising flour (if you don't have self-rising flour 3 cups all-purpose flour+4 1/2 tsp. baking powder + 3 tsp. salt)
3 tablespoon sugar
1-12 oz. beer (this is where you can go cheap or fancy, from PBR to micro brew)

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F for at least 20 minutes before making bread.
2. Spray a baking dish or loaf pan with baking spay and sprinkle flour on the bottom and sides.
3. In a bowl, mix flour and sugar. If you are adding other flavors, add them to the flour mixture. Pour in beer. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until there are no more dry spots. The dough should look like oatmeal.
4. Spread dough into sprayed baking dish and place in oven. Bake for an 1 hour and 15 minutes or until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped.