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Easy Beer Bread

I went through a big yeast bread making phase (my parents called me focaccia for a little while because I was on a tear), and then fell off the wagon.  But I am determined to get back on, and this beer bread is the perfect start.  This is a baby-steps-bread-making project, requiring no yeast, no rising, and only a few ingredients.  

Slice of buttered beer bread on a plate.

What Beer is Best for Beer Bread?

Cook’s choice! Any beer works. Just know that the flavor of the beer will infuse the bread, so if you are after a milder flavor use a lager or ale, and if you want to go for a stout, or an IPA, then your bread will have hints of those more pronounced flavors.

But beer bread doesn’t really taste strongly of beer, the flavors are subtle, and you’ll just note a bit of richness, maltiness, and a kind of yeastiness (without any added yeast!) that non-beer quick breads don’t have.

Make sure your beer is at room temperature before beginning the recipe. You can even use a non-alcoholic beer, though in the baking most of the alcohol burns off, so you shouldn’t worry. You can’t get drunk from beer bread!

No Yeast Beer Bread

The beer provides some of the leavening and the moisture, and of course the baking powder also gives a lift to the batter as it bakes.  The texture of the bread is moist and pleasantly coarse and rustic.  Use a serrated bread knife to slice it, if you have one, for the cleanest slices without squishing the loaf.

Slices of beer bread on a wire rack.

If you happen to have self-rising flour in the house you can use that instead of all-purpose, and skip the baking powder and salt.  That turns this recipe from a 6 ingredient recipe into a 4 – and it takes all of 5 minutes to get into the oven.  

Once the bread is fairly cool you can slice it and eat right away, or you can cool it completely.  It’s good served plain with soups and stews, and then a day or two later you’ll want to toast thick slices, and top them with a nice slather of butter and a sprinkle of sea salt.   A perfect breakfast, or snack, or companion to a cuppa tea.

Beer Bread: This is a baby-steps-bread-making project, requiring no yeast, no rising, and only a few ingredients – 5 minutes to get into the oven.

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How to Make Beer Bread

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave, then stir in the honey.  Add the butter-honey mixture to the dry ingredients.

Butter-honey mixture pouring into a bowl of dry ingredients.

Pour in the beer.   

Woman pouring beer into a bowl.

Stir until well combined. The dough will be kind of shaggy.  

Wooden spoon mixing a bowl of ingredients.

Transfer to the prepared loaf pan. Spread it out pretty evenly.  

Beer Bread dough in a loaf pan.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until a wooden skewer of a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.  

Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the bread out of the pan and cool until just barely warm or to room temperature.

Beer Bread loaf on a wire rack.

Slice and serve.

How to Store Beer Bread

This bread will keep tightly wrapped in plastic for a couple of days, but again after 1 day it’s best sliced and toasted.  You can also freeze it; wrap it in a couple of layers of plastic wrap as soon as it cools and freeze right away.  You can also do this with a portion of the loaf.

You can use sugar in place of the honey if that’s what you have around.  I also have tried it with hot honey in place of the regular honey and I thought it delicious.

Woman spreading butter on a slice of Beer Bread.

What’s Good with Beer Bread:

Slices of Beer Bread next to a loaf on a wire rack.

Other Easy Bread Recipes:

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Beer Bread

5 from 1 vote
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 8 People
This is a baby-steps-bread-making project, requiring no yeast, no rising, and only a few ingredients – and 5 minutes to get into the oven!

Ingredients 

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
  • 2 tablespoons honey (see Note)
  • 1 (12-ounce) can or bottle of beer at room temperature

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9×5 inch loaf pan, or spray with nonstick spray.
  • In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave, then stir in the honey. Add the butter honey mixture to the dry ingredients, then pour in the beer. Stir until well combined; the dough will be kind of shaggy.
  • Transfer to the prepared loaf pan, and spread it out pretty evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes, until a wooden skewer of a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
  • Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the bread out of the pan and cool until just barely warm or to room temperature.

Notes

You can use 2 tablespoons granulated sugar instead of the honey if you prefer.

Nutrition

Calories: 231kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 295mg, Potassium: 217mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 87IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 75mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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