I am pregnant (28 weeks today, with baby #3 - or Bippy III, as we like to call "it"). I'm also 3'10" tall and am rapidly becoming the same, width-wise. There just isn't any place for a "normal" sized baby to go in this old body of mine. I'm exhausted, I've got 'baby burn' that keeps me miserable 24/7. And I basically just feel fat and slow and ugly.
I digress . . .
So, for this Super Bowl Sunday, my husband's request was simple (thank you, Big Sexy): Wings.
That I can do. Homemade Wing Sauce and homemade Blue Cheese Dressing and we are set. Hey! If ya can't beat the baby burn, you might as well indulge it!! Right?
With the wing sauce and blue cheese dressing made, I was starting to feel a little guilty for not planning more. And, my pregnancy cravings have me wanting something sweet, but not candy or cake or cookie sweet. Candy/cake/cookie sweet always makes for MORE baby burn. And then I came across a friend's post on Facebook about a certain Direct Sales (food) Party she is having and I thought . . . BEER BREAD!! Not too sweet and an excuse to crack open a beer!! Perfect!
Except, I don't have one of those handy box mixes that some of these Direct Sales companies are famous for. So, I started doing a little research and came across this ridiculously easy recipe on Food.com. And in less than 10 minutes, not only did I have a mixed batter in the oven, but I also had two plastic zipper bags full of the dry ingredients for two more loaves. Easy-peasy, folks. Easy-peasy.
And not just easy-peasy - but CHEAP!!! And I love cheap!! [Insert my deepest apologies to my friends who happen to be consultants or hostesses for a few of these Direct Sales Companies, that sell these mixes.] But c'mon, really? One of these companies sell a three pack (three loaves) for nearly $16.00 (plus S&H) and then you have to wait for it to be delivered for you. And when you are pregnant and hungry, you just don't have that kind of time!! I just made enough mix for three loaves at nearly a quarter of the price, and had all six ingredients on hand.
Rather than link you up to the recipe that I found, I'll retype it. Mostly because I hate when recipes say things like, "3 tsp. of ______." Um, 3 tsp. equals 1 Tbsp. So, why not make everyone's lives easier and write it up that way?!?!?
So here it is (with a few footnotes from yours truly):
3 c. flour (sifted*)
1/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 12oz. can or bottle of beer (or soda or carbonated juice)
1/4 c. melted butter [Note: The recipe actually says, "1/2 c. melted butter (1/4 c. will do just fine)." Uh, yeah. We ain't Paula Deen here, folks. 1/4 c. is just fine.]
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Mix dry ingredients and beer. (Or just dry ingredients in a sealing bag and write the rest of the instructions on the bag for later use.)
3. Pour into greased loaf pan.
4. Pour melted butter over mixture.**
5. Bake for one hour, remove from pan and let cool at least 15 minutes.
*If you are throwing the first four (dry) ingredients into a zip bag for later, sift the entire mixture into your mixing bowl just before adding the beer. This will keep your bread from being too dense.
**Pouring the melted butter over the batter, just before baking will yield a very crunchy crust. If you prefer a softer crust, simply mix the melted butter into the batter prior to pouring into your loaf pan and baking.
The end result: You can barely tell the difference!! Name brands might be slightly more sweet, in which case you could "up" your sugar to 1/3 cup. But I'm thrilled with the result.
In fact, I'm so happy sitting here eating and typing that I think I'll throw another loaf in the oven.
Anyone care to join me?
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