Crack Open A Cold One — To Bake This Marvelous Beer Bread

Red Stripe beer and loads of rosemary infuse this aromatic, moist, and easy quick bread.
Red Stripe beer and loads of rosemary infuse this aromatic, moist, and easy quick bread.

On your next trip to the store, pick up a six-pack of Jamaican Red Stripe beer, and feel free to sit back and sip a cold brewski.

But do yourself a major favor and save at least one of those distinctively stubby bottles to bake a loaf of “Rosemary Red Stripe Beer Bread.”

That’s right — this incredibly moist and flavorful quick bread uses one whole bottle of the beer, plus copious amounts of fresh rosemary.

There’s no yeast involved and no rising time required. Just mix, bake, and enjoy a warm slice slathered with butter in no time flat.

This wonderful recipe is from “For the Culture” (Harvest, 2023), of which I received a review copy. It takes its name from author Klancy Miller’s For the Culture digital magazine.

A New York chef and food writer, Miller spotlights 66 inspiring Black women in her book with interviews, and 47 recipes from them.

Get to know what drives them and enjoy some of their most cherished recipes, including “Soup Joumou,” a hearty, coconut milk-infused Haitian soup from Leah Penniman, co-director of Soul Fire Farm in New York, where she’s using Afro-indigenous methods to restore the land and feed her community; “Fancy Grilled Cheese with Red Onion Jam” from Janine Copeland, a Brooklyn wine professional whose forte is natural wines; and “Spiced Oatmeal Cookie Cake” from Lani Halliday, a baker, artist and founder of Brooklyn’s Brutus Bakeshop, whose creations are gluten-free with many of them vegan, too.

This beer bread recipe is from Lisa Binns, chef and co-owner of Stush in the Bush in Jamaica, whose motto is “Fall in love with your food.” She serves this bread at her restaurant with her potato and leek soup.

Lay whole rosemary sprigs on top of the batter in the pan and drizzle with olive oil.
Lay whole rosemary sprigs on top of the batter in the pan and drizzle with olive oil.
Just out of the oven.
Just out of the oven.

Red Stripe is a light amber-hued lager that’s mild tasting with a yeasty hoppiness and a subtle sweet apple note.

It works beautifully in this quick bread batter, immediately bubbling through the mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat flours with baking powder and salt when poured in. There’s an ample amount of chopped fresh rosemary that’s folded in, as well as a few whole sprigs arranged decoratively overtop before baking. Yes, it’s a lot of rosemary, and it sure makes the house smell glorious as it bakes. But it’s not overwhelming in taste.

What really makes this bread is the 1/4 cup of brown sugar that’s stirred into the batter. It adds just a trace of sweetness that really rounds out and deepens the flavor of this bread.

Enjoy with soup, salad or your favorite entree.
Enjoy with soup, salad or your favorite entree.

The bread bakes up with a distinctive craggy and crunchy top, owing to the fizzy beer. The crumb is tender and fluffy, and not as dense as some other beer bread recipes I’ve tried.

The fragrant bread is fantastic while still a little warm, and spread with butter, chevre or gorgonzola.

It’s so delicious that you may want to set aside more than one bottle of Red Stripe. Because truth be told, I’ve already made this bread twice — and I’m headed to the kitchen right now to make a third.

It's wonderful for breakfast, too, smeared with butter or a little marmalade.
It’s wonderful for breakfast, too, smeared with butter or a little marmalade.

Rosemary Red Stripe Beer Bread

(Makes 8 to 10 slices)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped, plus sprigs for garnish

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

12-ounce bottle Red Stripe Beer

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and rosemary. Stir in the oil and beer until combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and press rosemary sprigs into the top for decoration.

Drizzle the top lightly with olive oil and run a table knife along the edges of the pan.

Bake the bread for 45 to 50 minutes, until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and is golden brown on top. Cool on a rack before slicing.

From Lisa Binns, as published in “For the Culture” by Klancy Miller

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2 comments

  • It is a pretty loaf of bread and I have plenty of rosemary in the garden. I’m thinking I might leave off the two rosemary stems as they seem like they would interfere with the slicing.

  • Hi Karen: You do definitely have to remove the stems after baking. However, the needles will have toasted up nicely, and will just naturally fall on top of the bread to add more flavor.

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