3 Breads In Under An Hour

Herby Beer Bread

When you need a dead simple bread that can be on the table in an hour or less, this is what you want to use. It’s technically a “quick bread” , because it uses chemical leaveners instead of yeast, but it still tastes “bready” due to the addition of the beer.

Ingredients:

• 3 C. (360g) All Purpose Flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1-2 Tbsp. dried herbs of your choice (thyme, rosemary, oregano, etc.)
• 12 oz. of your favorite beer (that’s 1 bottle/can. Avoid IPAs)
• 2-4 Tbsp. butter, melted
• Optional
  • 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 C. honey

Equipment:

• Large mixing bowl
• Bread pan
• Parchment paper, optional
• Binder clips, optional
• 1-2 microwaveable bowls (ramekins are great for this purpose)
• Sturdy spatula

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare your bread pan by lightly rubbing the inside with butter and then lining with parchment paper (binder clips on the edge of the pan are the easiest way to hold the parchment paper in place!) and set aside. In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and dried herbs until homogeneous.
2. Add the beer to your dry ingredients and mix until all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated and there are no more dry pockets. Add the dough to your bread pan, ensuring it is spread evenly, and then top with half of the melted butter. Bake for 40-min.
3. At the end of 40-min, drizzle the remaining butter on top of the bread (the butter at the end helps improve browning) and return it to the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean (grains are ok. Wet dough is not).
4. You can either set the bread aside to cool or serve right away. Enjoy!

Irish Soda Bread

I loved Irish Soda Bread growing up. It was a treat we would often get on sunny Sunday mornings. It’s a bread that doesn’t require any proofing times, because the rise comes from chemicals (baking powder and baking soda) rather than bacteria (yeast), so it’s also remarkably quick to come together.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1⁄2 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp. butter, cubed, room temperature
• 1⁄2 C. raisins or dried currants (you could also use blueberries, or even cherries)
• 3⁄4 C. buttermilk
• 1-2 tsp. of your favorite extract (vanilla, almond, chocolate, etc.), optional

Equipment:

• Medium to large mixing bowl
• Baking pan
• Parchment paper
• Whisk
• Cooling rack

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Butter your baking pan or add a sheet of parchment paper and set aside. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk until homogenous. Mix in your cubed butter and crush it with your fingers until you get a coarse crumb of butter and flour (you don’t need to be too particular about this).
2. Mix in your raisins, breaking up any large chunks, and toss the raisins in the flour so they are evenly coated. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon/spatula/or bowl scraper until all of the buttermilk has been absorbed (it’ll still be pretty chunky and shaggy)
3. Remove your dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface, then knead until it comes together into a smooth-ish ball (2-3 min). It should feel slightly tacky, but if it’s sticking to your surface sprinkle more flour and keep kneading. Pat your dough down until it makes a roughly 6in circle and then place on your prepared pan. Cut a large X into the top about 1/4in deep.
4. Bake until puffed up and the top is golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. Immediately transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 5-10 minutes before digging in. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Biscuits

Sometimes you just want a beautiful, fluffy, buttery, biscuit to go with roasted chicken. This recipe is fast! The longest step might just be waiting for your oven to preheat. Just make sure to save these for your cheat day.

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp. butter, COLD (have it in the freezer for 30-minutes before getting started)
• 2 C. All Purpose Flour
• 1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
• 1 Tbsp. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 2/3 C. Buttermilk

Equipment:

• Food processor with a grater attachment or a box grater
• Rimmed baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Large mixing bowl
• Sturdy spatula
• 3-3 ½ in biscuit cutter, optional

Directions:

1. Using a food processor or a box grater, shred your very cold butter into fine shreds (it should resemble shredded cheese). Place in a bowl or container, covered, and set back in the freezer while you do the other steps.
2. Preheat your oven to 425F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Combine your flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Stir until homogenous.
4. Add your chilled butter and stir with your hands until you get a crumbly texture.
5. Pour in your buttermilk and stir with a spatula until just combined. This will still be lumpy, and that’s how it’s supposed to be.
6. Dump your dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently press it together until you have a shaggy ball. Using your fingertips, flatten the dough into a disc roughly 1in thick and fold half of it on top of itself (like a dough taco). Rotate 90 degrees and then flatten and fold 4-5 more times, rotating 90 degrees every time.
7. Flatten your dough with your fingertips again (aiming for ~1 in. thickness) and use a biscuit cutter* (If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, just cut squares) to cut as many biscuits as you can, pressing straight down and avoiding any twisting motion. Place the cut biscuits onto a baking sheet ~½ in apart from each other. Work the excess pieces of dough back together and cut as many biscuits as you can from this and place them on your baking sheet. You should have between 5-7 biscuits.
8. Bake at 425F for 12-minutes. Enjoy!