The Best Homemade Beer Bread Recipe
This easy homemade beer bread recipe makes the perfect side dish to your favorite soup or salad, and adds a hearty touch to any meal. Uses simple ingredients found in your pantry.
When I receive a request from a reader, I’m always happy to oblige. So when I got an email asking if I had an easy recipe for homemade beer bread, I went looking. I knew I used to have one…but I had no idea if it was still in my recipe box. Turns out, it was!
I know I made this recipe a few times, but it was so long ago, that I didn’t remember a.) how easy it was, and b.) how delicious it was. This is a savory and rustic bread, that goes well with soups, salads, roasts, and more. So grab a bottle of beer, and let’s head to the kitchen!
Why This Recipe Works
This classic recipe for savory beer bread is super simple, and uses just 5 ingredients. It has a buttery crust with great flavor, and should definitely be added to your collection of quick bread recipes!
​The Simple Ingredients
This delicious recipe has just 5 basic ingredients and is baked in a standard loaf pan. Since there are no extra spices, the flavor of the beer shines through. Don’t make any substitutions for the ingredients, because this beer bread has a wonderful yeasty flavor, and bakes perfectly every time.
- All purpose flour
- White sugar
- Baking powder
- Salted butter: if you don’t have salted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the dry ingredients before adding the beer.
- Beer
Easy Additions
Although amazing on its own, you can add the following toppers to this irresistible buttery beer bread:
- Various herbs. After removing the loaf of bread from the pan, sprinkle it with finely chopped parsley, rosemary, or thyme.
- Shredded cheese. When the loaf of bread is still hot, before slicing, add finely shredded cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese to the top of the loaf.
- It’s also delicious to add a teaspoon of garlic powder to the top of the loaf before baking.
How To Make
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a 9 x 5 glass baking dish. (I use Baker’s Joy to prepare my baking pans.)
- Divide the stick of butter in two.
- Melt one half of the butter.
- Pour the 4 tablespoons of melted butter into prepared baking dish.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl with a hand mixer, add the flour, sugar, and baking powder.
- Using the paddle attachment, on the lowest speed, mix together the dry ingredients.
- Still on the lowest speed, slowly add the beer.
- Mix just until combined, making sure to get all the flour incorporated. The dough will come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Pour dough into glass baking dish. Smooth to the sides. (It’s OK if the corners aren’t filled. They will fill as the bread bakes.)
- Divide the other half stick of butter into 6 slices.
- Place butter pats on top of the loaf.
- Place dough filled baking dish on a cookie sheet.
- Baking time is 50-60 minutes. Bread is done when the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.
- Let bread cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes or until all the butter has been soaked back into the bread.
- Remove from pan, slice, and serve.
Tips For Great Beer Bread
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, a regular mixer can be used. The dough can also be mixed by hand.
- Don’t worry about getting the dough perfectly placed in the pan. The dough comes away easily from the mixing bowl, but it is slightly sticky. After the dough goes in the pan, smooth it out the best you can, but a rustic look is what you want.
- Make sure you put a cookie sheet under the bread pan before you place it in the oven. As the butter heats up and bubbles, it may overflow.
- This beer bread recipe is delicious warm from the oven. It’s a large loaf, so chances are it won’t get eaten all at once. It can be wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container for up to two days at room temperature. After that, it’s best to place it in the refrigerator.
- If you like quick bread with a dense, hearty texture, this recipe is for you. Because it’s so sturdy, it works well to slice the loaf with a serrated knife.
- After a few days, the slices of bread can be warmed in the microwave. They also make the best toast ever!
What Kind of Beer?
For this loaf, I used a bottle of Yuengling traditional lager, which is an amber beer. I am not a beer expert, but I know that many recipes call for a darker beer. Any type of beer can be used: light beer, pale ales, even flavored beers like pumpkin beer. My advice is to use your favorite beer, or whatever you have on hand.
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More Homemade Bread Recipes
- Rosemary Buttermilk Quick Bread
- Apple Bread with Walnuts
- Delicious Banana Bread
- Garlic Cheese Bread Recipe
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Beer Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 12 oz. beer
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a 9 x 5 glass baking dish. (I use Baker's Joy to prepare my baking pans.)
- Divide the stick of butter in two.
- Melt one half of the butter.
- Pour the melted butter into prepared baking dish.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, and baking powder.
- Using the paddle attachment, on the lowest speed, mix together the flour, sugar, and baking powder.
- Still on the lowest speed, slowly add the beer.
- Mix just until combined, making sure to get all the flour incorporated. The dough will come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Pour dough into glass baking dish. Smooth to the sides. (It's OK if the corners aren't filled. They will fill as the bread bakes.)
- Divide the other half stick of butter into 6 slices.
- Top dough with butter pats.
- Place dough filled baking dish on a cookie sheet.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes. Bread is done when the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.
- Let rest on a cooling rack for 5 to 10 minutes or until all the butter has been soaked back into the bread.
- Remove from pan, slice, and serve.
Nutrition
If you make this recipe, and love it, please come back to leave a comment and a 5-star review. I would really appreciate it, and it would help me so much. Thank you!
