Cheddar Garlic Beer Bread

Roundup continued through Tuesday. Three days total — south pasture, north pasture, the Henderson lease parcel to the east. By Wednesday afternoon we had all the cattle through the temporary pens, all the calves weaned, all the bulls pulled, and the veterinarian out on Thursday to pregnancy-check the cows and tag the calves before they go to the sale.

There were two heifers I pulled out for supplemental feeding — thin coming into winter, first-calf heifers that burned too much condition nursing. Patrick disagreed with the second one. He thought she'd recover fine on pasture. I kept her anyway. She's in the corral. We'll see who's right. That's the thing about running the operation — I have to make the call and live with it. Patrick can disagree from his chair and I'll respect the disagreement and still make the call. That's new. That's something.

The crew came out well. Tommy Henderson worked hard and didn't complain. Cody from the sale barn is worth calling again. I paid both of them fair and they left satisfied, which is how that should go.

Patrick came out to the corral Friday morning and looked over the calves in the pens before they shipped. He walked the row slowly, looking at each one. Then he said, "Good calf crop." That was it. That's all he said. I stood next to him and looked at the calves and didn't say anything, and the not-saying-anything was full of everything.

I made beef short ribs Saturday — braised in broth and dried mushrooms for four hours in the oven, the whole house smelling like the beginning of winter. Mom ate three ribs and said I'd done all right. Patrick had two. I had four. It was the kind of meal you earn.

The short ribs were the centerpiece, but it was the bread that made the table feel complete — something to tear apart and use to catch every bit of braised-down broth in the bottom of the pan. I’ve made this cheddar garlic beer bread enough times to do it without thinking, and that night I needed something I could make without thinking. You mix it in one bowl, you bake it, and it fills the house with something warm before the oven even finishes its work. After the week we’d had — the weaning, the calves shipping, Patrick walking that row slowly — sitting down to a meal that smelled like that felt like exactly the right ending.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Servings: 10 slices

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
1 (12 oz) bottle beer, room temperature (a lager or amber ale works well)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a standard 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter or non-stick spray and set aside.
Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper until evenly combined.
Add cheese and beer. Stir 1 cup of the shredded cheddar into the dry mixture. Pour in the beer and stir just until a shaggy, sticky dough comes together — do not overmix.
Add butter base. Pour 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into the prepared loaf pan and tilt to coat the bottom. Spoon the dough into the pan, spreading it evenly to the edges.
Top and finish. Stir the minced garlic into the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Pour the garlic butter evenly over the top of the dough, then scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar over the surface.
Bake. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The crust should be firm and the cheese on top should be toasted.
Rest and slice. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. Slice and serve warm. It’s best the day it’s made, but holds well wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cheddar Garlic Beer Bread — The Loaf That Sat on the Table While Everything Settled