(Courtesy Sierra Nevada Brewing)

Festive foods take on new meaning when made with serious beer. And who doesn’t like a scrumptious flatbread overflowing with cheesy goodness, especially when it’s made with the right Pale Ale?

So what is a flatbread anyway?

While flatbread and pizza share similarities as baked dough topped with savory ingredients, they are technically different due to their dough preparation. Flatbreads typically use unleavened or minimally leavened dough, while pizza dough relies on yeast to create a more airy and soft crust. However, some restaurants use the same dough for both, blurring the lines

This tasty recipe comes our way from one of our favorites, Sierra Nevada Brewing. And it’s made using a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, 5.6% ABV craft beer classic that helped spark the craft beer revolution as we know it today.

And when you’re done pulling things together you can kick back with this classic Pale Ale while the oven works its magic.

So let’s do this!

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Flatbread

Ingredients:

Beer Cheese

• 4oz aged white cheddar, diced
• 4oz cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon Sierra Nevada Brewing Porter Mustard or Dijon Mustard
• 1½ teaspoons minced garlic cloves
• 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Flatbread

• 12oz store-bought pizza dough
• 1 cup shredded fontina cheese
• 6 ounces Mexican chorizo
• 1 green apple, thinly sliced
• Fresh basil, for serving

Directions:

Step 1

Prepare the beer cheese. Place diced cheese in a food processor or blender and pulse until pea-sized. Add cream cheese, garlic, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce and begin blending. With processor running, slowly add just enough Pale Ale to create a smooth puree.

Step 2

Cook the chorizo. Remove the chorizo from the casing and cook over medium-high heat in a medium skillet until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess fat and set aside to cool.

Step 3

Build the flatbread. On a floured surface, press the crust out to an oval, about 12-14 inches, depending on the size of your pizza stone (the pizza should be slightly smaller than the pizza stone, so the crust doesn’t burn). For easy transfer, place the pizza dough on a round of parchment paper. Spread 3/4 cup beer cheese over the crust as sauce. Sprinkle with shredded fontina and top with crumbled cooked chorizo, and apple slices.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 325°F and cook approximately 10-15 minutes. This is a personal call you know your oven better than we do. And if you have a Green Egg outdoor grill, use it, and you’ll be able to create the same effect as a wood-burning pizza oven.

Step 5

Slide the flatbread onto the pizza stone or flat baking sheet and cook until it’s browned and bubbly.

Step 6

Slice and serve. Top with fresh basil, slice, and serve.

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Want more “Cooking with Beer” recipes?

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