Herbed Irish Ale Bread with Caraway and Herbs

This quick, easy beer bread is savory with caraway, dill, chives, black pepper and a full bottle of Irish red ale, which lends the loaf yeasty notes and hints of butterscotch. Smithwick’s and Killian’s are commonly available brands in the U.S. If you like the coffee-like bittersweetness of stout, Guinness also works wonderfully. An electric spice grinder is the best way to coarsely grind the caraway; pulse the seeds a few times, but don’t pulverize them to a fine powder. If the butter for brushing the just-baked loaf solidifies upon standing, simply re-melt it a few minutes before removing the bread from the oven. Serve slices with corned beef and cabbage or slathered with softened butter.