By Kelly Bogard

Every Labor Day weekend since 1975 the Central Texas town of West holds Westfest. A community of close to 3,000, the great people of West work every year, all year getting ready for this special 3-day event. There is a parade, a queen’s contest, clogging demonstrations, craft booths, music, food and much more – all to show pride and appreciation for the community’s Czech heritage.

My favorite part of Westfest is trying all of the Czech food. Churches, booster clubs and volunteer organizations set up booths with the best tasting homemade Czech food you can get your hands on. Potato pancakes and kolaches are crowd favorites, but my “must have” is a Beer Bread Sandwich of homemade bread flavored with dark beer, warmed, sliced and covered with sauerkraut, spicy mustard, swiss cheese and sausage.

bread ingredientsMy sister Laci has perfected a Czech-inspired Beer Bread recipe so we can enjoy Beer Bread Sandwiches all year long, not just during Westfest.

For Beer Bread, you will need…
3 cups self-rising flour
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 12-ounce bottle dark beer (room temperature)
Unsalted butter

This beer bread is very easy to make. Since you are using self-rising flour and the beer has yeast in it, there is no need to use standard baking yeast, which can be tricky in certain climates.

First things first – preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Use unsalted butter to grease the inside of one standard loaf pan. The easiest way to do this is to rub the stick directly on the pan so you can get into all of the sides and corners.
buttered dish
Mix flour and sugar together.
flour and sugar
Slowly add the beer and stir until combined. It will be sticky. Note the flavor of the bread comes from the beer. The darker it is, the more intense the flavor will be. (This recipe is kid-friendly since the alcohol cooks away during baking.)
add beer
Pour into your buttered loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until top is lightly browned.
uncooked bread
Let the bread sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to cool.
baked bread

sandwich fixinsFor Beer Bread Sandwiches, you will need…
homemade beer bread
Kiolbassa sausages
sauerkraut
Swiss cheese
spicy mustard
You can use any kind of link sausage, but I think the peppery taste of Kiolbassa really brings out all of the favors in this sandwich without overpowering it. As an added bonus, Kiolbassa sausages is a Go Texan food.

While your bread is cooling, slice sausages length-wise and heat in a saucepan. You also can heat your sauerkraut in the same pan, if you’d like.
cooking sausage

To make a Beer Bread Sandwich, first slice your bread into ½ inch slices. After applying a layer of spicy mustard to the bread slices, layer sausage, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. Doesn’t this look amazing?
sandwich
So, if you are looking for something to do over the holiday weekend, go see the great people in West. I promise you will have a good time and will leave with a full belly.

From all of us at Texas Table Top, enjoy!

[print_this]

[box]

Recipe: Beer Bread

Summary: Warm, dense bread that’s perfect for all occasions

baked bread

   

Ingredients

  • 3 cups self-rising flour
  • 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1 12-ounce bottle dark beer (room temperature)
  • Unsalted butter

   

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease the inside of one standard loaf pan with unsalted butter.
  • Combine flour and sugar.
  • Slowly add beer and mix well.
  • Move dough to loaf pan.
  • Bake for 45 minutes.
  • Let stand in pan for 5 minutes and then remove to cool.

   

Prep time (duration): 5 minutes

Cooking time (duration): 45 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 1 loaf

Variations:

  • Cinnamon Raisin – Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ½ cup raisins. Substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar, and sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar on top (to taste) before baking.
  • Cheesy Jalapeno – Add ½ cup shredded cheese and 1 chopped jalapeno to mix. Sprinkle ¼ cup shredded cheese on top before baking.

 

[/box]
[/print_this]

[print_this]

[box]

Recipe: Beer Bread Sandwich

Summary: Warm, cheesy sandwich filled with robust flavors

sandwich

   

Ingredients

  • homemade beer bread
  • Kiolbassa sausages
  • sauerkraut
  • Swiss cheese
  • spicy mustard

    

Instructions

  • Slice Kiolbassa sausages length-wise and heat in a saucepan.
  • Slice bread into approximately ½ inch slices.
  • Spread mustard on two slices of bread.
  • Layer cheese, sauerkraut and sausage on one slice of bread.
  • Cover with second piece of bread.
  • Cut in half and enjoy.

    

Prep time (duration): 5 minutes

Cooking time (duration): 5 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 1 sandwich

[/box]
[/print_this]