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Apricot Beer Bread

apricot beer bread sliced 

“You have to try this beer. ”
“It’s only 7:30 in the morning. I think it’s a little early for that.”
“Well, I didn’t mean you have to try it this instant. It’ll still be here later. But you really do have to try some. ”
We open the refrigerator door.
Pyramid Apricot Ale? I used to live pretty close to their brewery, although I’ve never had that flavor before. It actually sounds really good.” Pause, in which the bottle is examined. “I bet I could make some really great bread with that beer.”

This – more or less – is how I decided to make beer bread this week. In fact, it is very similar to the way I am inspired into making many things. A lot of refining happens in between the initial idea and the finished product, of course, but it all happens relatively quickly.

This bread, too, happens quickly. It takes only two minutes to stir it together before going into the oven. Once it is baked, you end up with an absolutely fantastic loaf that smells and tastes like it took hours to put together, not just seconds. It has a very light texture, somewhere between a standard “sandwich bread” and a soda bread, that gives it versatility, too. For instance, the texture is light enough that it could be used for a sandwich bread, as well as simply eaten on its own, which cannot be said for most quick breads, since they tend to be a little on the dense side.

The most remarkable thing about the bread is the yeasty taste that it gets from the beer. It is a flavor that usually only comes from repeated proofing of sponges and doughs, and even then, those types of loaves still take a lot of skill and precision to turn out properly. The addition of some sweetness from sugar and dried apricots keeps the yeast flavor from being overwhelming, as well as providing the additional bonus of making this loaf a good choice for both breakfast (toasted, with butter and/or jam) and dinner (untoasted, with butter and/or dipped in soup).

apricot beer bread

Apricot Beer Bread
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil
12-oz apricot beer (such as Pyramid Apricot Ale)
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
In a very large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and add in vegetable oil and beer. Mix. Stir just until no streaks of flour remain, then quickly mix in dried apricots and pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed. Loaf should be light or medium gold.
Turn out of the pan and allow the bread to cool on a wire rack before slicing.
When cool, store in an airtight container.

Makes 1 loaf

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15 Comments
  • Lauren
    August 2, 2007

    Oh I Love that apricot ale! It’s my favorite “fruity” beer. I will definitely have to try this recipe… thanks!

  • caitlyn
    August 2, 2007

    Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’ll have to give it a try because the bread looks delicious!

  • always write
    August 2, 2007

    My cousin made this when I was visiting her in Israel last summer; hers was a sweet-savory version with only 2 Tbsp of sugar and a mixture of olives and yellow raisins mixed in. The top was brushed with egg yolk and flax seeds before baking. Delicious! I tend to make it with an all-purpose/whole wheat flour blend, which produces an even heartier result.

  • farmgirl
    August 6, 2007

    This looks delicious, Nic. I love beer bread but never thought to sweeten it up with sugar and dried fruit. The apricot beer was a great idea. I’ve never seen or heard of it before. Thanks for another unique recipe. Hope you’re staying cool! : )

  • Madkat27
    August 13, 2007

    As soon as I saw this recipe I had to make it. It is amazing. So dense, and flavourful. Everyone loved it, beer and non-beer drinkers alike. Will definitely make this again. Might try tp find a peach beer or something next time and see if it works as well! Thanks for the recipe!

  • kitchenMage
    August 23, 2007

    Oh my goodness, that sounds so good! When Farmgirl mentioned it in her article I was wondering if it had chopped apricots in it – because I love them – and it does. Makes me smile, it does. Toasted seems so perfect.

  • Georgia
    September 7, 2007

    I prepared this bread and it was delicious. I added fresh and dried apricots. It was great to bake with a local beer (I live in the East Bay and Pyramid is produced in Berkeley (also Seattle)). It was chewy and yeasty, sweet yet slightly tart. I paired with a glass of the Pyramid Apricot Hefeweizen, but think it would also pair well with Rooibos tea.

  • Katie
    June 18, 2008

    I made this for my dad and mailed it to him for Father’s Day, and he loved it! He said it was especially good toasted for breakfast. I made a loaf for myself and my boyfriend and we both agreed. I will definitely be making this again. I was so impressed by how easy it was to make and loved the fact that it was made with beer!

  • Don Alexander
    July 28, 2008

    Hi Nicole: Your site is fantastic…your write ups are great and entertaining and the recipes awsome…made this beer bread and it was delicious..next loaf around I wanted to make a cheese bread out of the basics as the texture was so great for a beer bread…went out and got some sharp cheese grated 1/2 hen chunked 1/2 it was really great gonna try the banana coconut today…as i haven’t yet found the valhala of banana reads this looks very promising…keep up the great work

  • Don Alexander
    July 28, 2008

    Hi Nicole: Your site is fantastic…your write ups are great and entertaining and the recipes awsome…made this beer bread and it was delicious..next loaf around I wanted to make a cheese bread out of the basics as the texture was so great for a beer bread…went out and got some sharp cheese grated 1/2 hen chunked 1/2 it was really great gonna try the banana coconut today…as i haven’t yet found the valhala of banana reads this looks very promising…keep up the great work

  • Ragnvaeig
    January 13, 2009

    I’ve a cranberry lambic and dried cranberries–I bet it would make a nice variation. Thanks for the idea!

  • Transy
    October 11, 2009

    Wow, it looks delicious, thanks for the post..added to my recipes list..

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