Herbed Beer Bread

I got this recipe from the King Arthur Flour cookbook.

This is a quick bread that uses beer to make it rise. It doesn't require kneading or waiting time to rise. It's the perfect way to get fresh, warm, homemade bread with very little effort.

You should use a light-colored beer (I tried making it with a dark beer once, and it was terrible). I used a 12-ounce can of Bud Light, mostly because my folks had about a couple cases worth leftover from the clambake (seems like everybody brought a case). That was an excellent choice.

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Herbed Beer Bread

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup semolina (I used 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour in place of the semolina.)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 12-ounce bottle of beer (or can)

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil.)

3/4 cup hulled sunflower seeds

1 Teaspoon each: dried parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (like Simon & Garfunkel's song)

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9X5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the beer and oil and stir until the batter is evenly moistened. Stir in the sunflower seeds and herbs, then pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake the bread for 45 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove it from the oven and cool it in the pan for 15 minutes on a rack. Run a dull knife around the edge of the bread and turn it out of the pan to finish cooling.

I found that the batter is very thick, almost a dough. The top of my loaf was dramatically crooked, but the loaf came right out when I overturned the pan, no further prodding needed.

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This was delicious and I will have to make it again soon.

Like Crab Cakes, But Salmon

Still organizing the recipe collection. I uncovered this recipe, which I got at Whole Foods aeons ago. It was very simple to make, and delicious. Chris, the resident picky eater, enjoyed these salmon cakes. I will have to make them again.

"Chesapeake Spiced Salmon Cakes"

One 14.75 oz. can of salmon (drain off excess water)

(I bought three 5-oz. cans of the boneless/skinless variety instead, rather than pick over the salmon for bones and skin. The extra expense was worth it to spare me the bother.)

2/3 cup panko bread crumbs, plus more for dusting. (Regular plain breadcrumbs are fine too.)

2 Teaspoons Old Bay seasoning or other seafood seasoning

1/3 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup scallion, finely sliced on the diagonal (I used shears to snip small pieces, it's quicker.)

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley (I used a scant 2 Tablespoons of dried parsley flakes.)

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise ("light" is OK)

Salt and pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

Safflower oil for frying (I used most of a quart bottle. Heads up.)

In a large bowl, break up salmon into small pieces, removing bones and skin. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, seasoning, red pepper, scallion, parsley, salt, and pepper. Add to salmon then gently stir in egg and mayonnaise. Form into 12 small patties. Flatten patties, cover with plastic wrap or parchment or wax paper and refrigerate until ready to fry (they can be prepared the night before). Remove from fridge and dust both sides with breadcrumbs. Heat 1/2" of oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and fry salmon cakes in batches, 2-3 minutes each side, turning gently, until golden brown.

Note: Since I used boneless/skinless salmon, I didn't need to pick through it. I saved a dish by mixing the dry ingredients and veggies in the big bowl and adding the drained salmon directly into that bowl. One less bowl to wash is good.