The first time I visited Snoqualmie Falls in Snoqualmie, Wash., I was 19 years old. A group of friends and I had just finished marathoning David Lynch’s cult classic television series, “Twin Peaks,” and felt it was necessary to explore the setting for what had become our new favorite show. We wandered around the falls, skimmed our hands across the water, and gorged on coffee and pie at Twede’s, just like Agent Cooper. Now, many years later, I have grown to appreciate the falls in a much larger capacity.
Snoqualmie Falls is a destination in itself, but add all of the nearby attractions that surround it, and you have the makings for a great weekend getaway. Couples love romancing at Salish Lodge & Spa, where breathtaking views of the falls serve as the backdrop for an enchanting stay. You can test your luck at Snoqualmie Casino, and win some extra spending cash to enjoy during your visit. Then, round it all out with a few pints at Snoqualmie Brewery and Taproom. Camping, outdoor recreation and other activities abound in this wooded Washington wonderland, so there’s something for everyone.
If you live nearby like I do, you can visit the falls regularly. But, if the trip is a bit more out of the way, rather than wait, pining for your next visit, why not bring a piece of the falls home with you? Pick up a bottle of Snoqualmie Falls Beer Bread in a Bottle from the Salish Lodge Country Store and a growler of beer from Snoqualmie Brewery and Taproom, and bring home the makings for a “homemade” masterpiece.
I was skeptical when I set forth to test this bread kit in my own kitchen. “Just add beer and bake”—it sounded too simple. I emptied the contents of the “bottle bread” into a mixing bowl, added 12 ounces of Snoqualmie Brewing’s Haystack Hefeweizen, stirred it all together until the dough was smooth and free of lumps, then poured it into a greased, standard size loaf pan and baked for about 55 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
As it cooked, I would peek through the oven window periodically to check the bread’s progress, each time more impressed by its rising form and golden color. When the timer went off and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread came out clean, I took the loaf out of the oven, removed it from its pan, and set it on a cooling rack where it could be better admired.
After letting the loaf rest for an hour or so, I took a bread knife and cut through its crisp, outer shell to reveal the tender, pillowy bread inside. Still slightly warm, I smeared a generous helping of butter across a slice and devoured it slowly, savoring every morsel.
While I typically wouldn’t condone baking something from a kit, Snoqualmie Falls Beer Bread in a Bottle is something I’m happy making an exception for. If you don’t have time to make bread from scratch, or simply just don’t feel like it, Snoqualmie Falls Beer Bread in a Bottle is a nice compromise that requires little work, resulting in a fresh baked loaf of bread so good no one will believe you when you say it came out of a bottle.
