Apple Bread

This is the apple version of a basic bread recipe that I have been experimenting with for the past several months. I need to give credit to my daughter Sara and tell a funny story concerning her, with regard to this recipe. She received a loaf of this bread and a copy of the recipe from a friend. She loved the bread and shared the recipe with me. Now comes the funny part. Sara (like me) is not a beer person. Doesn't care for it at all and knows nothing about it to speak of. Well, the recipe calls for a 12 oz. can of beer (for the yeasty flavor and leavening). Didn't specify any particular type, just beer. Her husband Jonathan is a beer afficionado and keeps several types of gourmet (huh!) beer out in the fridge in their garage. To Sara, beer is beer so she goes out and grabs the closest bottle of beer within reach and makes a great loaf of bread. Jonathan is raving about the bread and saying it is so much better than the loaf that the friend had brought over, so much darker and richer and yeastier. Sara says she wonders if it is because that beer she used was dark brown and smelled so strong! Did Jonathan freak out? Had she used one of his expensive imported gourmet beers to make her beer bread? You bet, and it was delicious!

Apple Bread

3 1/2 Cups Self Rising Flour
1 Cup of Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla Flavoring
1 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 12 oz. Can of Beer (any kind - even gourmet)
1 Cup Apple Pie Filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large loaf pan. Mix all dry ingredients together. Stir in beer and pie filling slowly. Pour into prepared pan and bake one hour or until bread tests done with cake tester. Cool completely before slicing. This is great served with apple butter.

Here is the basic original version that was given to Sara:

Beer Bread

3 Cups Self Rising Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 12 oz. Can of Beer

Proceed as directed above.

I have also varied this basic recipe by adding one cup of frozen blueberries and 1 tsp. of almond flavoring. When I make the basic version, I reduce my sugar to 3/4 cup so that it is not quite so sweet.