Ramp Beer Bread
Fresh wild ramps and aged goat cheese make for a beer bread that will ruin you for all other beer breads. Use a smooth, nutty dark, brown, or amber ale for maximum effect.
Servings: 1 loaf
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 Tbs baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 4 ramps
- ½ cup aged goat cheese or aged gouda shredded
- 12 oz dark, brown, or amber ale (choose something smooth and nutty)
- ¼ cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Wash ramps and trim roots, then gently pat dry. Mince the whole plants (bulbs, stems, and leaves) and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except beer and butter. Mix well.
- Pour in beer and gently mix together until just combined. Use as few strokes as possible to avoid overmixing. Batter will be extremely thick and dough-like.
- Spread the batter into a greased standard loaf pan (8½"x4½"). Use a rubber spatula to make sure it is evenly distributed, pushing it into the corners of the pan if necessary.
- Pour melted butter over the top, and bake at 375°F for 50 minutes, or until top is golden and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Turn the loaf out from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Ramps, a wild relative of onions and garlic, are only available for a few weeks each spring. You can forage for them yourself, or check your local farmers markets while they are in season.
- If you want to use sliced, frozen ramps instead of fresh, you will need approximately ¼ to ½ cup.
- While there really isn't a perfect substitute for ramps, Chinese/Asian chives (aka nitra) work admirably well as a stand in for them in this recipe.
- To make this gluten-free: use the gluten-free baking flour of your choice and a certified gluten-free beer such as New Grist from Lakefront Brewery. The flavor and texture will be different, but will still be quite good.
- To make this dairy-free and vegan: use a plant-based butter and substitute an equal amount of nutritional yeast in place of the cheese. Or omit the cheese entirely, if you prefer.