Hard Cider Quick Bread

Hard Cider Quick Bread- This quick and simple no yeast, no knead bread is absolutely perfect for soup season.

November 3, 2024 by Nicole Collins

Today, we’re making Hard Cider Quick Bread!

I’m not usually one to embrace autumn the way I have this year. But, I think that fact that we’re in the first week of November and still experiencing a sunny 75 degree day here and there is helping with that. I’m a completely different person if I get a little warm sunshine. So in that case, bring on all the fall things.

Today’s super simple recipe is perfect for those chilly days that are slowly but surely creeping up on us. There’s nothing quite like warm bread freshly baked from the oven. But, most breads require hours of proofing and rising and caressing and babysitting; so I don’t always have the time to spare for that. Enter quick bread.

Quick bread is exactly that…quick. It’s more dense with a larger crumb. But, you can get it on your table from start to finish in just about an hour. QUICK!

Most people are familiar with beer bread, and today’s recipe is exactly that with a twist. Instead of using our favorite lager, we’re embracing the fall and swapping out some delicious hard cider into our dreamy bread. Talk about YUM!

This bread comes together SO EASILY. It’s as simple as adding some flour, baking powder, a little salt, some white sugar, and some freshly shredded cheddar cheese to a mixing bowl. Give it all a good toss, and we’re basically done. Next, we’ll pour in a bottle of our favorite hard cider. And, we want that cider at room temperature. Give everything a good mix again until it forms a thick dough, transfer the dough to an oiled bread pan, finish the bread with a good pour of melted butter right on top. That’s all there is to it!

We’ll toss this in the oven for about 45 mins to get nice and golden, allow it to cool for a few minutes before slicing into it, and we’re ready to eat. I love serving this with some apple butter to play on the sweet apple notes from the hard cider, but I’m not going to turn down a slice lathered in regular butter either. Just saying.

Now like I said, this is not a soft and fluffy bread. It’s thick and hearty, and that’s exactly what I love about it. The alcohol cooks off, so you don’t have to worry about getting a buzz from your bread. But, the hard cider leaves behind a lovely, crisp, ever so slightly sweet note of apple. To balance out the sweet, we have that nice sharp cheddar in there which is the absolute perfect pairing. I love to use freshly shredded cheese, because it melts so much better, and you can actually see the pops of cheese almost like confetti sprinkled through the bread. But, pre-shredded cheese will be fine in a pinch.

The most popular way to serve this style of bread is alongside a soup or something saucy that needs a dipper. And, I love having it that way too. But, I also love using it to make a little avocado toast! 11/10…use your leftovers to do this, trust me.

There’s a small part of me that might actually like the hard cider version more than I like traditional beer bread. Beer bread tends to have bitter undertones from the beer, but we don’t have that with the hard cider bread. If beer bread is not usually your thing, I encourage you to try this way!

Ok, everyone. We have a BIG month ahead of us! My small batch holiday cooking series that I do on my socials every year is making its way to the blog this year by popular demand. But, there’s a twist! I was told the people wanted traditional flavors but not so traditional items, so that’s what the menu looks like this year. We have 6 brand new recipes coming, and it’s going to be EPIC. You won’t want to miss it!

That’s all I’ve got for today. So, I hope you guys enjoy. And, let’s eat!

Hard Cider Quick Bread

Serves: 12 slices Print

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
¼ cup sugar
1 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
12 oz hard apple cider, at room temperature
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
To a mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, 1 tsp salt, sugar, and parmesan cheese. Mix to combine. Pour in hard cider, and gently mix ingredients together until everything is just combined. Transfer batter into prepared loaf pan. Pour melted butter evenly all over the top of the bread.
Bake the bread for 45-50 mins until the top is a light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Use a butter knife to make sure the bread is loosened around the sides. Remove the bread from the pan, and transfer it to a wire cooling rack. Allow bread to cool for 10-15 mins before slicing. Slice into 12 slices, and serve!

Recipe notes:

*Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Alternately, you can wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and transfer to a freezer safe bag. Thaw as necessary when ready to eat again. You can reheat slices in the toaster oven or even the microwave for just a few seconds.

*I love serving this with apple butter to play on the salty sweet notes of the cider and the cheddar. But of course, it’s great schmeared with regular butter too.