Now that the cold weather has finally kicked in, most people are dreaming about baking up cookies, apple creations, and pumpkin masterpieces. You can definitely lump me in with that bunch-- my kitchen has been smelling like brown sugar and cinnamon for the past several weeks now, and there's no sign of it stopping any time soon. However, there is one thing I get even more excited to make every year when the temperature drops-- a different scent I love lingering throughout the house as the oven gives off an extra boost of warmth-- and that, my friends, is bread.
When I decided to make bread, I knew I wanted to load it up with some of my favorite ingredients, because the beckon to creative freedom in a loaf of bread is just too inviting to deny. I thought about packing in chocolate chips, fruit, or nuts, but none of it seemed exciting enough. I wanted a flavor explosion, because I believe there's really no other way to live than going all in. Keeping that in mind, I loaded this up with all of my favorites: blue cheese, garlic, onions, and beer... and it was glorious.
Remember when I said that the Glazed Doughnut Cocktail deserved to have Shakespeare-esque sonnets written about it? Well, I think Shakespeare would have written about this bread if he were still around. As he wrote in Henry IV, " I had rather live with cheese and garlic in a windmill, far, than than feed on [delicacies]..." Imagine, Shakespeare, if the cheese and garlic were baked into a warm, dense loaf of bread. That's the kind of food that inspires classic love stories.
Sadly, my family members and most of my friends are not as in love with blue cheese as I am, so my one blue-cheese-appreciating friend Elysse and I basically ate this entire loaf ourselves right after it was baked. Elysse, who very frequently taste tests my food, seemed more excited about this bread than anything else I've ever seen her eat. Who can blame her?
Make this bread as a side for spicy buffalo wings at your next party, snack on it as you watch football, or use it to soak up some delicious Buffalo Chicken Corn Chowder (recipe coming tomorrow)! Oh, and make sure that you have plenty of time to sit around in the kitchen and take deep breaths as you bake it, because the smell of this bread alone is amazing enough that you'll want to make it every day.
Blue Cheese Garlic Beer Bread
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Description
Serve this dense, flavorful Blue Cheese Garlic Beer Bread as a savory snack, a side for spicy buffalo wings, or a Game Day treat. One bite and you'll be hooked!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 13.5 oz (~3 cups) all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups blue cheese crumbles
- 1 (12 oz) bottle lager (cheap beer works well, don't waste expensive beer)
- cooking spray (I like to use this non-aerosol EVO sprayer)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium-low heat, and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Season generously with black pepper and add in the garlic. Cook for a minute, then remove from heat.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl until well-combined. In the center of the mixture, create a well. Add the onion and garlic, the blue cheese, and the lager to the dry mix. Stir until the mixture becomes moist, making sure to not over-stir.
- Spray a 9 x 5 pan with cooking spray and pour or spoon in the batter. Drizzle half of the butter (1 tablespoon) over the batter and bake for 35 minutes. Then, remove from the oven and pour over the remaining butter. Bake for 25 more minutes, or until the bread turns golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack until ready to eat.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
Jackie says
This looks amazing!! I can't wait to try and,make it!!
Mary says
I made this today and the house smells wonderful. Will be making this again. TY
Morgan says
Thanks for commenting, Mary! Isn't that smell just divine?!
Rob Anderson says
Another recipe used from this site, another 10/10 hit.
Opted for an IPA instead of lager and red onions over yellow, and it came out perfect.
My first ever bread baked! I'll be using this recipe and tweaking it further for future ideas, I'm thinking cheddar and sundried tomato or something involving chilli peppers.
Thanks.
Bunie Dietrich says
Love blue cheese can't wait to make it
Samantah says
very good bread recipe! I thought it was weird that it didn't have to rise longer, but if it ain't broke dont fix it, right?? I only had a couple of hours to let it sit in the fridge, and it turned out great. crusty outside, and soft and chewy inside.
LLA says
Should there be eggs in the recipe?
Morgan says
Nope! No eggs necessary. =)
Joan Philosopersden says
I made this bread yesterday. It is a wonderful recipe for blue cheese bread. I had some blue cheese I wanted to get rid of, and this was a good way to use the blue cheese up. For people who like blue cheese this is a great recipe to use.
I want to try making this bread with maybe an extra cheddar cheese and add in some green onions at the end of the recipe just before putting it in the baking dish.
The only thing I changed on the recipe was, to add 1 more teaspoon of baking powder for a better rise. For baking, the standard recommendation for the use of baking powder is 1 teaspoon of baking powder per 1 cup of flour and for baking soda it is 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per 1 cup of flour. I find following those standards for baking, my baking comes out much better.
Thank you so much for posting this oh so delicious blue cheese bread recipe!
Sarah Young says
I have made this three times already. It is delicious. Best recipe around and the amount of blue cheese is more than in any other recipe I have seen. Thanks!!!
pamela says
This is delicious, I just pulled out of the oven 30 minutes ago. The house smells divine! I had 'too much' beer but no more onion or blue cheese so substituted emmental cheese and diced apple. It's baking now. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
G says
I made this last night to serve alongside beef stew. It was fantastic, and the whole family loved it! I had to make a couple of adjustments because the ingredients I had on hand. I didn't have enough bleu cheese, so I added some cheddar, and my baking soda isn't the freshest, so I added another teaspoon. I will be making this again, and will probably make some variations depending on what I have on hand that needs to be used up. I'm thinking feta and black olive, or jalapeno and Monterey Jack.