Easy Beer Bread

Easy Beer Bread is a quick, no-yeast bread made with simple ingredients and your favorite beer. Perfect for any occasion, especially beer-centric holidays like St. Patrick’s Day and Oktoberfest!

Throughout my food blogging career, I’ve been fortunate enough to get steady freelance work. And some of those gigs have introduced me to some really great recipes. Back in 2020, hired me to shoot a how-to video for the site’s most popular beer bread recipe. It had only 5 simple ingredients, and used no yeast or eggs. So I wondered – how good could it really be? The answer: absolutely delicious! Better than I ever expected.

Since then, I’ve probably made this bread 20 times. But I often tweak the flavor by adding different herbs and cheeses. This extra-sharp cheddar and chives version is a favorite, so I’m sharing it with you today. It’s so good with hearty soups and stews. And with St. Patrick’s Day on the horizon, it would also be good with corned beef and cabbage. Or, bookmark it for later this year when rolls around – it’s delicious made with a German pilsner. But really, you can use just about any beer you have on hand. However, my favorite is an inexpensive lager – the kind you might add to a pot of chili – which gives the bread a yeasty, obvious beer flavor.

The Best Beers for Beer Bread

The beauty of beer bread is that any beer will work, but the type you choose will impact the final flavor. Beers like Budweiser or Modelo Especial produce a mild and slightly sweet loaf, while darker beers like Guinness or Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale add deep, malty notes. For the best balance of flavor, stick with a pilsner or lager – they provide just the right amount of yeastiness and crispness without overwhelming the other ingredients. If you want to stay on-theme for holidays, Harp Lager is an excellent Irish beer for St. Patrick’s Day, while Warsteiner German pilsner makes a delicious loaf for Oktoberfest.

Dry Pantry Staples

One of the best things about this recipe is that it relies on basic pantry ingredients you likely have on hand. Start by whisking together the sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Once combined, add the shredded cheddar and chopped chives. Toss them gently in the flour mixture to coat, which helps distribute them evenly throughout the dough.

Add Beer

Once your dry ingredients are mixed, it’s time to add the beer. Pour the beer into the flour mixture and stir until a thick batter forms. The carbonation in the beer helps create a light texture while adding lots of yeasty, rich flavor.

Butter and Bake

Transfer the batter to a greased loaf pan and pour the melted butter over the top. YES – instead of being mixed into the batter, the butter goes right on top before baking. This step helps develop the crispy, golden crust that makes beer bread so rich and buttery-tasting. Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for about an hour until the loaf is well-risen and golden brown.

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Cool

Once the bread is done baking, let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. You can see in the image above that I’ve made two loaves: the cheddar and chive version, and a plain one. To make a plain loaf, simply omit the cheddar and chives. The plain loaf is slightly more versatile, as it can be smothered in sweets, like honey, jellies, and jams.

Use a serrated knife to cut into thick, hearty slices. Since the crust is so wonderfully craggy, use sawing motions as you cut to prevent compressing the soft interior.

Beer Bread Video Tutorials

To view the original video I made of the plain loaf, visit to Food.com and click the ‘watch’ button over the image of the bread. Also, check out the video in this blog post (just before the recipe card) to see how the cheddar and chives version is made

Beer Bread Serving Suggestions

This bread is so flavorful on its own that you can enjoy a warm slice with just a smear of salted butter. But if you’re looking for serving suggestions, try it with soups, stews, corned beef and cabbage, bratwurst, or arranged on a cheese board as a base for cheeses, cured meats, and spicy mustards.

This recipe is proof that baking bread doesn’t have to be complicated. With Easy Beer Bread, you get all the satisfaction of homemade bread with none of the fuss. So grab your favorite beer, mix up the batter, and enjoy a warm, buttery loaf in just about an hour. If you try it, let me know in the comments what kind of beer you used in your batter – and how it turned out! I feel sure that most of you will love it as much as I do.

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Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/SprinkleBakes