Raisin and Walnut Beer Bread

Thanks again to Daemonfall on Livejournal for the suggestion of beer bread as my next recipe - it proved incredibly easy and one I will make again (It was scoffed in a hurry over the weekend!).

The basic recipe I followed was as follows:

Easy Beer Bread

(makes 1 medium loaf)

3 cups self-raising flour
3 tblsp sugar
1 300 ml can beer (any sort) I used Strong Suffolk Vintage Ale, I have no idea about beers, the label said it had a caramel character, so it was good enough for me.

Method:
Sift all dry ingredients together into a bowl and create a well in the centre, immediately pour in and mix in the beer, pour into a greased medium loaf tin. The mixture should roughly half-fill the tin. Place in medium hot oven (about 190C) for about 50 minutes until well-risen. Turn out on a cake rack to cool.


It got a little hairy for a little bit as I couldn't find my bottle opener anywhere, I kept wondering "what the heck am I going to do with a bowlful of flour?", when luckily I found an old opener and the back of the utensil drawer. As an after thought I mixed through a handful of chopped walnuts and raisins to make a nice sweet bread, sprinkling cinnamon and a little extra sugar on top of the loaf before sticking it in the oven.

Went fantastically well with a cup of tea and bitter orange marmalade. Definitely something I'll make again soon.