Beer Bread is incredibly simple to make, requiring only 6 basic ingredients. This yeast-free bread recipe couldn’t be easier to make. You can skip the kneading step altogether. The crispy exterior and the soft, tender interior make this dish impossible to resist.
This recipe for homemade beer bread requires only a few basic ingredients. No yeast is required. Beer, along with baking powder, serves as a leavening agent. Don’t worry about the beer’s alcohol content; it burns off during baking. The malty, yeasty flavor of the bread is abundant without making it taste like you just downed a six-pack.
Don’t worry if you’ve never baked bread before. You can skip the kneading and proofing steps when making this beer bread. After combining the ingredients with a whisk, bake the bread for about an hour, and you’ll have a delicious loaf of buttery beer bread.
Ingredients for this dish
- Flour; no special ingredients are required for this beer bread. You can use regular flour instead.
- Sugar — a touch of sweetness is required to counteract the bitterness of the beer.
- Baking powder, which aids in the bread’s rise; use only fresh baking powder.
- Beer — any kind of beer will do in the bread batter. While I’m using an IPA, you can use whatever beer you have on hand. The yeast in the beer reacts with the baking powder and flour to cause the dough to rise, so no active dry yeast needs to be added. Because of the beer, the batter will foam and rise.
- Butter—the melted butter imparts a rich buttery flavor and crisp texture to the bread. Use unsalted butter, as that is what I prefer.
Ingredients
- ▢3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
- ▢3 tablespoons sugar
- ▢1 tablespoon baking powder
- ▢1 teaspoon salt
- ▢1 can beer (12-ounce/355ml)
- ▢3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
BEER BREAD: THE HOW-TO
- Combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a large bowl.
- The dry ingredients should be whisked together.
- While stirring, gradually add the beer. Its foaming behavior is typical. Keep mixing until the foaming stops and the dough is completely combined with no dry specks of flour remaining.
- Fill a greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with the dough.
- Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
- After 40 to 45 minutes, take the bread out of the oven and put it on a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool, then brush all over with the remaining melted butter.
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE LIKE A PRO
- Take care not to overwork the dough. Overmixing leads to a tough, dry loaf, so only mix until everything is evenly distributed.
- When measuring flour, use a scale. The end result will be more precise if you do it this way. Fluff your flour with a spoon, then spoon it into your cups, and level it off with a knife if you don’t have a scale. A heavy loaf can be avoided by not overfilling the measuring cup with flour.
- If you want to use honey instead of sugar, that’s fine.
- A serrated knife is ideal for making uniform slices.
- Remember to save some butter to drizzle on top of the bread dough before baking. A buttery crust is a result of adding melted butter on top rather than mixing it in with the beer.
- Are you stocked up on quick-rising flour? That can stand in for all-purpose flour, and you can skip the baking soda and powder.
- If you want to take it to the next level, try it with my honey butter.
Beer bread with butter spread on top, the rest of the loaf, and a beverage behind it.
FAQ
Where should I put the bread?
Bread keeps well for up to four days if wrapped tightly and kept at room temperature.
The bread: can I freeze it?
Beer bread, either in its entirety or in individual slices wrapped in plastic and stored in a freezer-safe container, can be kept frozen for up to two months.
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