Ginger Ale Bread

What's that? Ginger ale bread??  You can put soda in bread?!?!?!! Indeed, that was the very same reaction I had, but as you know (or may not know) when you have 12 oz of stale ginger ale sitting in your refrigerator for more than 2 weeks, desperate times call for desperate measures. I did honestly consider just pouring it down the drain for about 5 minutes, but then the spendthrift in me won out and onto the internet I went, googling "ginger ale bread". Lo and behold, I am not the only crazy person to believe in this combination. As luck would have it, a recipe very similar to my favorite beer bread recipe appeared on Window on the Prairie's blog.

With a few modifications, the loaf emerged, shockingly risen despite the flatness of the soda, and so white when it came out of the oven that wife remarked, "what's wrong with it?" (maybe this was the warning sign of under-baking!) The subtle smell of ginger ale wafting up from the still steaming loaf was appealingly intoxicating. Upon slicing into the loaf, it was sadly revealed that it was under-baked. So I can't really speak to how good the texture would be if it were correctly baked. Taste-wise, it's not the most exciting of flavors and I would definitely add something else like more ginger or nutmeg or citrus zest. But I can see why it would be a nice pairing with fruit jams or berry compotes. Oh well, it was an experiment and it got the ginger ale out of my fridge.

Ginger Ale Bread

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2-3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
• 1- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
•  12 oz can of ginger ale, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and spices together.
3. Pour ginger ale into dry ingredients and mix through with as few strokes as possible.
4. Transfer batter to greased 9x5" loaf pan and bake for ~40 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
5. Let cool on wire rack for 10-15 minutes before removing from pan.