#VeggieDag Thursday. Recipe: Black Pepper Beer Bread

VeggieDag Thursday is an occasional Thursday post
on an animal-free diet and ecological issues.

As the weather pivots from winter to spring, there's still time for a hearty loaf of Black Pepper Beer Bread. In fact, plenty of time: this recipe requires no more than sixty minutes from start to slice. And, there's no yeast kneaded needed.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6-12 ounces lightly hopped lager or ale
• 1 tablespoon melted non-dairy butter substitute.

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a nine-inch loaf pan.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and pepper. Whisk together.
• Pour in the beer, a few ounces at a time, and whisk gently until combined. (Cold beer is easier to use that room temperature: it won't foam as much.) Use only enough beer to make the dough just the moist side of stiff, balling up and separating from the bowl. (Any beer remaining in the bottle is reserved for the baker.)
• Dump the batter into the loaf pan, and smooth out the top. Create a crease, and top with the ersatz butter.
• Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crusty in appearance.

NOTES

• Recipe adapted from Pop Sugar.
• I substituted a portion of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat pastry flour to produce a less dense consistency. I halved the sugar and doubled the pepper, and, since this is a no-yeast recipe, all of the sugar could be omitted.
• Avoid a hoppy beer. The hops will impart an unpleasant bitterness. Similarly, avoid a roasty beer, such as a strong stout. (Guinness Stout —neither particularly roasty nor strong— would be okay.)
• I used Kolsch 151, a delightful golden ale from Blue Mountain Brewery (in Afton, Virginia).
  
  

  A light German-style ale indigenous to Cologne. This ale is treated like a lager, undergoing extensive cold aging to produce a clean, crisp beer. German Pilsen and Vienna malts, and Hallertau region hops, lend a balanced flavor to our lightest beer.
  5% abv; 18 IBUs.

  
  
  
  
  
• Serve with a hearty soup, such as this Split Pea Soup from Moosewood. Vegetarian, of course. (Well, okay, vegan. How, I detest that ugly word!)

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• I mentioned to a person in the 'craft' beer business that I really had enjoyed my six-er of Blue Mountain Kölsch 151. He responded: "Not an IPA? Sorry, I just can't get into that." Too bad for him. More for me.
• Why the name VeggieDag Thursday? Here.
• Read all the posts: here. Follow on Twitter with hashtag: #VeggieDag.
• Suggestions and submissions from chefs, writers, and home-cooks welcomed! Contact me here.