Cheddar Pumpkin Beer Bread

There is nothing better than having a freshly baked bread to go with dinner. However, bread generally takes a while to make with all the kneading and rising that's put into it. So, it doesn't get made too often in this house since I usually decide to make bread an hour or two before we sit down for dinner. Which was the case the night I made this bread. I needed something quick and delicious to go with the pumpkin chili I was making. Let me just tell you, this recipe works in a pinch.

I usually make rolls for Thanksgiving but after making this bread, I definitely plan on making it again next week for the big feast. I mean, when it comes down to it, canned rolls or fresh baked bread? Not to mention the fact that there is pumpkin beer in the recipe... which is a Thanksgiving staple. It's a win-win really. This tastes exactly like a normal beer bread would except depending on the beer you choose, your bread will have the flavor of. So make sure you grab a beer that you like. If you are not a beer drinker than any pale colored beer will work.You don't really get a huge pumpkin flavor with the bread but the beer I used isn't over powering anyways. You just get the subtle notes of pumpkin, beer, and melt in your mouth cheddar all baked into a sweet bread. There was no rising, kneading or a whole heck of a lot of work involved. I'm not going to lie though, I did the whole "One for you, one for me" when it came to adding a bottle of beer to the bread. Now of course, you don't have to use pumpkin beer, any beer would work. However, where would the fun in that be?

recipe adapted from My Recipes

• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 1/2 c. finely chopped yellow onion 
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 garlic clove, minced 
• 3 c. all-purpose flour 
• 3 Tbsp sugar 
• 2 tsp baking powder 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese 
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle pumpkin beer (or beer of choosing) 
• 2 Tbsp melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 375°. 
2. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion to pan; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in pepper and garlic; cook 1 minute.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; make a well in center of mixture. Add onion mixture, cheese, and beer to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. 
4. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle 1 tablespoon butter over batter. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes. 
5. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon butter over batter. Bake an additional 25 minutes or until deep golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.