Shelly's Recipe

BEER-BATTER CHEESE BREAD WITH SMOKED GOUDA AND BACON

Category: Quick Breads

8 oz smoked Gouda, 4 oz shredded and 4 oz cut into 1/4-inch cubes
8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
3 cups flour
3 tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 (12-oz) light-bodied beer, such as Budweiser
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 37Grease a loaf pan.

Stir bacon into bowl with cheese. Combine shredded and cubed cheese, bacon, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Stir in beer and mix until well combined. Pour into loaf pan, spreading batter to corners. Drizzle melted butter evenly over top of batter.

Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool bread in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Cool completely and slice as desired. (Although this bread can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, after the second day the bread is best toasted.)

NOTE: Insert the toothpick in a few spots when testing for doneness; it may hit a pocket of cheese, which resembles uncooked batter on the toothpick. Strongly flavored beers make the bread bitter, so mild American lagers like Budweiser work best here.