A baked food product made of flour or meal that is moistened, kneaded, and sometimes fermented. A major food since prehistoric times, it has been made in various forms using a variety of ingredients and methods throughout the world. Although raised bread originally relied upon spontaneous fermentation, bakers learned to produce fermentation with yeast. Other ingredients include liquids, such as milk or water, shortenings of animal or vegetable origin, salt, and sugar.

Quick Beer Bread via Glitter and Goulash

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 can (12oz.) beer We recommend: Goodlife Bavarian Lager, Pfriem Pilsner or Heater Allen Pilsner
1/2 stick butter, melted

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan (or 4 mini loaf pans, see extra tip below).
Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and whisk together until combined. Add beer and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
Pour half the melted butter into a greased loaf pan. Add the batter, and then pour the remaining melted butter on top of your batter.
Bake on the center rack for 50-60 minutes. The top should be brown and crispy and the toothpick should come out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf.
Remove from the oven, let sit in the pan for 5 minutes.
Remove from the pan and serve immediately!

Notes
Instead of using one 9 x 5 loaf pan, use 4 mini loaf pans. This will give you 4 delicious mini loaves to share as gifts, or freeze for future use. This is a good option when you are cooking for just a couple people.

Bread Fun Facts (via mobilecuisine.com)

• It takes 9 seconds for a combine to harvest enough wheat to make about 70 loaves of bread.
• Each American consumes, on average, 53 pounds of bread per year.
• An average slice of packaged bread contains only 1 gram of fat and 75 to 80 calories.
• Farmers receive approximately 5 cents (or less) from each loaf of bread sold.
• The “pocket” in pita bread is made by steam. The steam puffs up the dough and, as the bread cools and flattens, a pocket is left in the middle.
• Scandinavian traditions hold that if a boy and girl eat from the same loaf, they are bound to fall in love.
• Superstition says it is bad luck to turn a loaf of bread upside down or cut an unbaked loaf.
• Legend has it that whoever eats the last piece of bread has to kiss the cook.