A bierbrood recipe for the festive season!

What could possibly be better than fresh bread and lashings of butter? Or gravy soaked up with delectably soft bread? If you’re already salivating at the thought, we’ve got a special treat for you – our very own not-so-secret bierbrood recipe.

What is a bierbrood?

But before we get into the nitty-gritty of whipping up your own loaf, it should be noted that there are many types of beer bread. In fact, beer bread or bierbrood is any bread with beer included in the dough, leaving room for a myriad of variations. And just about every South African family recipe book has one or another version of this delectable bread recipe stashed away. In addition, you can find a Jan Braai bierbrood resep online to try. But for now, we’ll share ours with you because, quite frankly, it’s the best! You will notice that our bierbrood recipe is very basic yet delicious. Try a bier brood mix if you want to try something even easier.

What you need:

250 g of grated cheddar cheese

500 g of self-raising flour

1 teaspoon of salt

340 ml of your favourite beer

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to a balmy 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Mix flour, beer, and salt in a bowl.
3. Add the grated cheese into the dough mixture and mix in evenly.
4. Grease a bread pan, place the dough inside, and pop it into the oven.
5. The loaf should bake for around 30 to 40 minutes or until cooked through.

Yes, bierbrood is really that easy to make! Now, you can spend some time thinking of what to pair it with!

Pairing bierbrood with the right foods and side dishes

• Caesar salad – this salad consists of romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, eggs, anchovies, garlicky croutons, and a dressing made of olive oil, lemon, and Worcestershire sauce.

• Potjie – if you haven’t tried one of our potjie recipes yet, here’s one to give a bash. Imagine dipping freshly baked bierbrood in the potjie’s gravy-like sauce! Yum!

• Breakfast fry-up – sizzling up some bacon, eggs, sauces, tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms is the perfect accompaniment for beer bread!

• Braai meat – yup, bierbrood has a special place at the braai table. Slather it up with butter and add it to your braai meat serving with a salad on the side!

• Creamy soups – what’s a winter without butternut soup, minestrone soup, vegetable soup, and even pea and ham soup? Add a hunk of beer bread to the side, and you have a feast you’ll want definite seconds of.

• Hummus and dips spread – a grand South African picnic with a Mediterranean element is just what the doctor ordered (if there was a need for a doctor, that is!). Think sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, pesto, hummus, sliced olives, cheese, pickles, and more. All of these piled onto slices of beer bread are simply heavenly!

• Apricot jam and cheese – ever cut a thick slice of freshly baked bread, buttered it, spooned on a generous amount of apricot jam, and added sliced or grated cheese on top? If you’ve never tried it, you’re missing out – and now is the best time to test it for yourself!

• Olive oil and balsamic vinegar – if you try this one out, mix some green and black olives into your bread dough and some herbs. Once cooked, pour oil and vinegar onto a plate and let them mix in, then dunk your bread slices into the concoction and enjoy. This goes beautifully with a glass of easy-drinking red wine.

Does beer bread still contain alcohol

One question that always comes up when baking beer bread is about the alcohol content. If you’re wondering if you can give grandma, your 3-year-old niece, and the dog a slice of bierbrood, the answer is yes! Technically, beer bread contains alcohol, but most of it cooks off during baking, so no one will get drunk off a slice or two at your next family gathering!

A few more beer bread details to ponder

If you’re making beer bread without a leavening agent, you can expect dense bread that won’t lose moisture even when cooked for a long time. The longer you cook the bread, the thicker you can expect the crust to be. Beer bread mix products that are ready to mix and bake already have a leavening agent included.

Those well familiar with the art of baking beer bread have tinkered with different beers for different styles of bread. For a stronger flavour and darker appearance, choose stout or dark beers. Spiced beers will add more flavour too. For varied flavours, you can also add various things to the ingredients, such as sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, herbs, garlic, feta, and so on.

Ready to make your own beer bread recipe? Let us know, and share pics of the result!

Get more than just baking advice at FinGlobal

At FinGlobal, we love a good bread recipe, especially as the festive season approaches. That said, we also provide other good advice regarding FOREX, financial emigration, retirement annuity withdrawals, tax refunds, tax clearance, exchange control, and more. Whether you’re just investigating your emigration options or already in the throes of getting things in order, our professional financial emigration consultants can help you ensure that all of your ducks are in a row.

Our team has more than ten years of experience in the industry, and each consultant is up to date with the latest laws and regulations that govern moving to a new country. When making contact with us, you can expect us to provide a friendly service that addresses all of your needs and ensures that you understand what could seem like complicated systems and processes. We want nothing more than to spend some time discussing your finances and emigration with you and seeing how we can assist you with ensuring the transition is smooth. For a friendly discussion regarding your emigration requirements, you can contact our professional team today! To contact us, simply give us a call at +27 28 312 2764 or email us at info@finglobal.com, and we will revert as soon as we possibly can.