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A CAN of beer, sugar, self-rising flour.
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Short of first imbibing the other five cans in the six-pack, how can you take a wrong turn making beer bread It is simple and a much-beloved staple.
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But baking is a more exacting science than most forms of cooking, and beer bread is evidence which things can go awry in the simplest recipes.
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Our anonymous reader follows a standard beer-bread formula -
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(12-oz) can of beer, three Tbsp.
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sugar and three c. self-rising flour, baked in a greased loaf pan at 375 degrees for an hour - but finds lumps of dough in the finished product.
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Readers were quick with suggestions.
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Denise Heenan, Linda Silva of Morgan Hill and Mildred Ferguson of Carmel were among the trouble-shooters who think Anonymous should eliminate a step which calls for the dough to rest for 30 min.
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Immediately place the dough in pans, then in the oven, they advise.
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Ferguson points out which she bakes the bread at 350 degrees, rather than 375 degrees.
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and several readers noted which our beleaguered baker uses three Tbsp.
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sugar rather than the two called for in their recipes.
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Marilyn Golden brown takes a little different approach.
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After stirring together the ingredients, she turns the dough out on a floured board and kneads a few times, till the dough can be easily handled.
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She cuts the dough in half, shapes each piece into a long, narrow roll and bakes in a baguette pan for 35 min or possibly till nicely browned.
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and Judy Gerleman of Palo Alto thinks Anonymous is missing one delicious step.
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'After 50 min of baking, you pour 1/2 c. of melted butter over the loaf and continue baking for the final 10 min.'
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For the record, Home Plates includes a basic beer-bread recipe from Rosa Bennett of Campbell.
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It's slightly different than the three-ingredient version, but Bennett swears by it.
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She likes to use dark, strong beers.
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The recipe comes from the Queen Victoria Cookbook, from a bed and breakfast in Cape May, N.J.