Wine Bread

Eyeing a bottle of $3 Chardonnay got me wondering if wine bread would be good. I decided I would also make a loaf with an open Cabernet that had been sitting in my fridge for a few days. As it turns out, wine bread is soft, sweet, and delicious. Possibly even better than beer bread!

Ingredients for one mini loaf:
- 1.5 cups of sifted unbleached bread flour
- 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 tablespoon of table sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 2/3 cup of wine
- about 1 teaspoon of melted butter for the bread wash

Tools:
- oven preheated to 375 degrees F
- mixing bowl
- measuring cup & spoons
- mixing spoon
- flour sifter, scale, or strainer and lots of patience
- lightly greased mini loaf pan(s)
- optional: whisk (you can use a fork)
- optional: silicone brush for breadwash (you can use a fork)

First combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in your mixing bowl. Use the whisk to evenly distribute these ingredients. Next, stir in the wine.

After you've got a nice ball of dough (or two) cover and let it sit for 30 minutes before baking. Then, transfer the dough into your mini bread pan. Brush the top with a small amount of melted butter before baking for 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

Let your bread cool for about 5 minutes before removing it from the bread pan.

You haven't lived till you've had a scrambled egg and gouda sandwich made with two different types of wine bread for breakfast! Oddly enough, the Cabernet bread also makes a very tasty peanut butter sandwich.


Notes:
- the wait time of 30 minutes before baking may be completely unnecessary
- the Chardonnay bread had a very interesting egg-y smell while baking
- you can double this recipe for a regular-sized loaf pan
- this is a great way to use up wine that's no longer fresh enough to drink
- if you enjoyed this recipe, check out my beer bread Instructable!