Easy Beer Bread
With only six ingredients, this Homemade Beer Bread doesn’t require any yeast and is made quickly. It comes out so tender and pairs perfectly with your favorite soups!
A TASTY HOMEMADE BREAD
If you have never tried Homemade Beer Bread then you are absolutely missing out. This is one of the easiest quick bread recipes out there. With only 6 ingredients, everything comes together in one bowl for easy clean up. The butter poured over the top gives it a nice, flavorful top crust. This is one bread that I like making because I usually have all the ingredients on hand and I can whip it up quickly to have with dinner. If you have plans on making a warm comforting and tasty bread soon, then you have to try this Homemade Beer Bread recipe!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Generally there are standard-sized two loaf pans most people have, a 9″x 5″ and an 8 1/2″x 4″x 1/2″. For this bread you can use either as it doesn’t rise too much. I usually use the 9×5-inch ones; however, if you have the smaller one, you’ll just get a slightly thicker bread so really both will work here.
If it’s the alcohol you don’t want in your bread, then there are some really great non-alcoholic options out there these days. You could substitute with club soda or seltzer water. However, I think you lose a bit of the richness of flavor with those. The yeast in beer adds a nice, deep background flavor.
For this recipe you can use pretty much any beer that you like. If you use a lighter (in color) beer, you won’t really taste the beer at all. However, if you go with a darker beer, you’ll get more of that flavor infused into the bread. So choose a beer that you know you will like. I prefer a lighter colored beer like Corona or Blue Moon Belgian White.
If you want to flavor your bread you absolutely can. This is a great base recipe! Sometimes I add shredded cheddar cheese to this to make a Cheddar Beer Bread. You will want to add about 1 cup shredded cheese for the loaf. Some other additions would be bacon, jalapeño or green onion.
Beer Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. If it is still a little wet, then it needs more time to bake.
You can store this bread in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 1 week. This bread also freezes well. Wrap cooled bread in plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag. Bread can remain in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, let the bread thaw overnight in the refrigerator. To reheat you can either toast it, or heat on a low setting in your oven until heated through.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- all-purpose flour – self-rising flour can be used, just leave out the baking powder and salt since self-rising flour already has it in it.
- baking powder – it’s important that you make sure you’re working with fresh baking powder – so many times a recipe doesn’t turn out because the baking powder is no lower fresh or is expired.
- granulated sugar – I know it seems weird to add sugar but it doesn’t add a ton of sweetness, it really just sort of “feeds” the yeast that is in the beer and helps it to activate and bloom.
- beer – use your favorite beer here – have fun with this recipe depending on the kind of beer you like. I prefer a light beer but I have friends who make this with Guinness and love it!
- melted butter – I use salted butter but you can use unsalted. Also, if you prefer a softer crust (like a traditional bread) mix the butter into the batter instead of pouring it over the top.
HOW TO MAKE BEER BREAD:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large bowl.
Next add in the beer.
Stir the beer in until fully combined.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and spread it out.
Pour the butter on top of the batter in the pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes.
The bread will be done when the top turns a dark brown color and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the bread.
Slice and serve with butter if desired.
WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES?
Easy Beer Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 ounce can beer
- ½ stick (1/4 cup) butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large bowl.
- Next stir in the beer until fully combined.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and spread it out.
- Pour the butter on top of the batter in the pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes to one hour. The bread will be done when the top turns a dark golden brown color and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the bread.
- NOTE: Oven times DO vary depending on what type of pan you use (metal, Pyrex or ceramic) as well as what rack you are baking it on, etc. so the best way to tell is to check it around the 40-45 minute mark with a toothpick to check for doneness. You can also tell by how brown it is getting on top. If you think it is getting too brown and the center isn't done yet, try tenting it with some aluminum foil then continue baking.
- Slice and serve with butter, if desired.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- If you prefer a softer crust (like a traditional bread) mix the butter into the batter instead of pouring it over the top.
- If you don’t have a way to sift the flour then just ensure you are measuring it properly. Too much flour in any bread recipe will make it come out super dense (like a brick) so ensure you use the spoon and scoop method then level it off with the flat end of a butter knife.
- Self-rising flour can be used, just leave out the baking powder and salt in the recipe since self-rising flour already has it in it.
- You can use any beer that you like for this recipe, switch it up to change the flavor.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above on how to do that.
- You can add to this recipe to create more flavor such as cheddar cheese.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I don’t have any beer in my house and I saw some recipes for this that says that you can use any kind of carbonated drink. Can I use sparkling water?
Hi Joyce, I actually answer that exact question above on the frequently asked question section 🙂
FABULOUS easy recipe. I used Pumpkin King beer and it was out of this world!! Hubby rants and begs me to make more when it’s gone.
Ooooh pumpkin beer sounds AMAZING!!! Thanks so much Tina – you gave me a new idea to try!
Does climate matter such as amount of flour to liquid as well as baking temperature and time?
Such as Northern Colorado which is a pretty dry climate. TYIA
That’s a really great question and I will be honest I am not familiar with elevation baking adjustments. So I honestly cannot say. I’m so sorry.
I’m so sorry Melissa! That really bums me out to hear. I will definitely go back and re-visit this recipe and see where it might’ve gone wrong.
Can this recipe for beer bread be made in a bread machine?
I think you could but this isn’t a yeast bread so there’s no rising time and some bread machines over mix non-yeast breads and then they turn out tough. So I guess it would all depend on your type of machine and your knowledge of it and it’s settings.
Can I substitute Splenda for the sugar. I’m trying to cut back on sugar.
I don’t see why not.