In a perfect world, I would have inherited my Irish grandmother’s bread-baking skills. Mary Ellen Hogan, or Nanny, as we called her, would arrive in St. Petersburg from her home in Chicago every May, just in time to spend Mother’s Day with her only son’s family and to watch one of us make our First Holy Communion. As a small child, I would sit on her bed and watch with fascination as she unpacked her valise, as she called it, which contained her good Sunday black, blue, or brown dresses; rosary; travel-size bottle of holy water; starched apron; and cake of yeast. She always brought her own yeast because she was deeply suspicious of Florida yeast. Almost every morning of her two-week visit, she would make two loaves of her perfect bread, which she would slice, butter, and then drizzle with honey. I was blessed to get Nanny’s thick, curly hair and cursed with her thick, sturdy ankles. But the bread-baking gene is lacking in my DNA. Instead, when the occasion arises, I make quick breads like this one. And my family still seems to love me, despite my yeast-bread-baking deficiency.
3 cups self-rising flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (12-oz.) can light beer
2 Tbsp. (¼ stick) salted butter, melted
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Combine the flour, sugar, and cheese in a medium bowl. Add the beer and stir until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
2. Bake for 50 minutes. Brush with the melted butter and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is browned. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, turn out onto a wire rack, and serve warm, or let cool until ready to serve.