Chorizo and Manchego Beer Bread

Over the Christmas holiday, Chris and I attended a dinner party over at our friend EW’s house.  We decided to bring a bottle of wine and this bread.  I know EW is a HUGE bread lover so I thought I’d bake him a loaf.  In the past, I have baked him savory breads but he seemed to love beer bread more than others.  I’m guessing it’s the dense texture and the crusty top.

I love to change up the flavors of my beer bread and I always follow the same base recipe.  Chorizo and manchego is a favorite combination of mine, especially in bread.  We nibbled on a couple of slices just to make sure it tasted OK before we brought it over.  It was tasty and butter is a must on here! 🙂

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Ingredients:

• 3 ounces of Spanish chorizo, casing removed and diced
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 (5 ounce) container of shaved Manchego cheese, divided
• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle of beer (I used a winter lager)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of unsalted butter, melted

Preparation:

In a small pan over medium heat add chorizo and olive oil.  Cook until fat renders from the chorizo, about 5-7 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to a plate to cool; set aside.  Reserve fat, do not discard.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9-inch loaf pan.

Using a stand or electric mixer (or mix by hand) combine scallions, 4 ounces of Manchego cheese, flour, baking powder, salt and chorizo.  Mix well and then slowly stir in beer.  Mix until batter is just moistened, batter should be sticky.  Do not overmix.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with a spatula.  Scatter the remaining 1 ounce of Manchego cheese on top of the batter, then drizzle in the reserve chorizo fat on top of the cheese (mine rendered about 1 tablespoon).  Pour the melted butter on top as well and make sure it’s distributed evenly.  Bake for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick/tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow the bread to cool for 20-25 minutes or until it’s safe to handle for slicing.  Best served warm.