Garlic Basil Beer Bread

I have a little basil plant sitting in my kitchen, begging me to use its leaves every time I walk in the room (so expect a lot of basil posts in the next couple weeks). If you don't know this about me already, I love cooking (especially baking) with beer, because you don't have to add additional yeast and you can just put it right in the oven with no wait time. This recipe makes one loaf of bread and is perfect for a filling snack.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
Three cups of flour -- I used two cups
of all-purpose and one cup of whole wheat
Three (3) tablespoons of granulated sugar
One (1) tablespoon of baking powder
One (1) 12-ounce beer -- I used Harpoon's IPA, which was perfectly paired with the basil
One (1) large handful of basil leaves, finely chopped -- I think I used about 10 basil leaves of medium size
Two (2) cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of parmesan, shredded -- This is optional. If you leave it out, this recipe is vegan-friendly
One (1) tablespoon of butter -- sub vegan butter, if appropriate

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. If you don't have a sifter, just stir with a whisk. The more you sift/whisk, the better, because it helps the bread to be less dense.
Sprinkle in the garlic, basil, and parmesan into the dry mixture.
Slowly pour the beer in while mixing until completely doughy.

Pour bread dough into a greased loaf pan.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly.
Top with butter while the bread is still warm.
Serve warm or cool.