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Beer Bread is a super simple and quick bread that will become a weeknight favorite to serve alongside all of your hearty fall and winter meals.
I’m in full on cozy food mode. I’m talking casseroles, soups, chili, and stews – they’re pretty much all I want to make and eat at this time of year. And typically there’s always leftovers for the following day which is definitely a bonus!
When comes to cozy meals like sausage and lentil soup, roasted poblano beef stew and easy chicken chili, I’m a definitely fan of bread as a side.
Whether it’s homemade cornbread, Parker House Rolls, a loaf of crusty bread from the market, or crescent rolls from a tube, these types of meals just need to be paired with some carby goodness.
Today, I’m sharing one of my very favorite recipes for homemade Beer Bread that’s been on My Baking Addiction for years, we just freshened up a bit. It’s simple, delicious and perfect for this time of year!
CLASSIC, EASY BEER BREAD RECIPE
This bread literally takes five minutes to prep and requires only five simple ingredients.
That’s right. FIVE! That’s it!
Self rising flour, salt, sugar, beer, and melted butter are all you need to make this beer bread recipe.
The sweetness of the bread complements the subtle notes of the beer, but if you aren’t big on slightly sweetened breads, simply cut down the sugar to ¼ cup.
Serve this bread alongside any of your favorite soups, such as Sausage and Lentil Soup, Turkey Noodle Soup, or Stuffed Pepper Soup.
It’s also amazing toasted and spread with some butter and Slow Cooker Apple Butter.
HOW TO MAKE BEER BREAD
This recipe will make you wonder why you ever purchased a beer bread mix because it’s just as fast and just as tasty.
All you have to do to make this Beer Bread is mix together all of the ingredients except the melted butter.
For the beer, I like to use whatever light or medium-bodied beer we have on hand in the fridge. Simply use your favorite!
Once the dough is mixed together – it will be sticky! – pour it into a greased loaf pan and bake.
During the last three minutes of baking, brush the top of the loaf with melted butter. After all, who doesn’t love a beautiful, golden, buttery crust on their bread?
HOW TO JAZZ UP BEER BREAD
This beer bread is a great base recipe and has all kinds of jazzing up potential.
Ingredients you could add to this recipe include:
- Fresh, chopped herbs such as rosemary or thyme
- Shredded cheeses such as cheddar or pepper jack
- Minced raw garlic
- Roasted garlic
- Finely diced jalapenos
Simply add your mix-ins of choice when you stir together the dough and bake as directed.
Whether you enjoy a jalapeno-cheddar version alongside a bowl of classic chili or make it as directed, you will love having a loaf of fresh-made bread ready in an hour.
Beer Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups self-rising flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 ounces beer I used bud light
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Butter an 8x4 inch loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and beer; mix well. The mixture will be sticky. Pour into the loaf pan and bake for about 55 minutes.
- At the last three minutes of baking, remove from oven, brush the top of the loaf with the melted butter and return to oven for the final three minutes of baking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great and easy recipe. I had self-rising flour in my pantry (I buy it only for beer bread!), but my bread didn’t rise much at all. Wondering whether my flour is old and the leavening agents have lost some of their oomph. I probably should have written down the expiration date on my canister somehow.
I made this last night but have obviously done something wrong which seems ridiculous reading all of the comments about how easy it it. My crust was tough and the inside underbaked. Help. It tasted quite nice. Any idea what my problem might be?
RA-
It could be that your oven temperature is off. You can get an oven thermometer at most hardware stores, making it easy to see if your oven is heating properly. I hope this helps.
-Jamie
What a fantastic recipe! I also love that I can add to it. I have always avoided baking in general because it seemed too precise. I like to be able to tinker around and add things as I cook so this recipe is perfect for that! I added cheddar and a finely diced jalapeno that I just walked out and picked out of my garden! It is August and we are at our height of garden production here in Colorado! <3
Today is a rainy day and a little cooler so I thought I'd go ahead and give this one a try! It is in the oven as I type this!! I love your site by the way, I have bookmarked it and know I will use it often! :) I also read that your name was Jamie, I'll remember that one well as it is my husbands name! ;)
I should add that I meant I bookmarked your blog mybakingaddiction :) This site too, but yours for sure! :)
Great quick bread recipe. Always looking for something new and quick to fix. You should mention about not having to add yeast to this bread, because of the yeast in the beer already. However, in my different experimentations, I used Pyramid Hefeweizen from the west coast here in Seattle, because there is so much yeast caked in the bottom of the bottle (unfiltered), as opposed to domestic beers. Plus it gives it a little darker shade to the bread, as well as taste. Another good addition to the batter is jalepeno’s and parmesan cheese. Thanks again, and happy baking.
Hello,
I was going to make a beer bread recipe,one I found on another site, but didn’t have any so used 12 oz of hard cider – just called cider here in the UK – a brand called Thatchers. I added a tsp. of herbes de provence, 1 tsp. dried rosemary and a bit of dried thyme. 1 Tb of sugar only, 1 Tb of Baking powder to 3 cups white bread flour and 1 tsp salt. I added 1 cup shredded cheddar. The recipe suggested half a cup of cheddar and some additional parmesan but didn’t have any parm. I dotted butter on the top of the mixture before baking and it came out with a beautiful crust. It also made wonderful toast. I think I might try it with the parmesan and cheddar next as I would have welcomed more cheese flavour. Might also try more herbs or the peppers/jalapenos other people mentioned. I am very into savory things, more than sweet.
Yummy, made for last nights supper, added 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and some chopped hot peppers, very easy to make, my husband loved it, thanks for the recipe
Carole-
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by and providing your feedback – have a great day!
-Jamie
I tried your recipe last night, and loved it! Why have I been buying beer bread mixes over the years? Thanks for sharing!
Kris-
I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for visiting the site and providing your feedback- Have a great day!
-Jamie
I always use half sparkling apple cider and half guinness beer. It gives it amazing flavor.
I made this bread last night with Yuengling and it was pretty tangy/sharp. I did cut down the sugar to 1/4 cup, but I didn’t expect it to be this tangy. Would cutting down the salt decrease this flavor?
Diana-
I usually use a lighter beer, but cutting back the sugar could have definitely attributed to the sharp flavor. Hope this helps.
-Jamie