This Beer Bread recipe is not only simple, but it is also out of this world delicious! Follow my tricks to make an out-of-this-world Beer Bread! I promise it will be the only recipe you will ever need!
Beer Bread
I made no less than 10 different beer bread recipes before coming back to the basics. This recipe is based on one my grandma made in the 1970’s using Schmidt’s beer. No one ever told me it had beer in it, and I certainly never asked! But I do remember it having the most amazing unique flavor that I never experienced at home. I always thought grandma just had a special magic when it came to baking. (Truth is, I think she does!)
Beer Options
We liked IPA beers the best, but here are our favorites:
Blue Moon Pacific Apricot Wheat
Pikes Peak Brewing Co. Elephant Rock IPA
One amazing thing about beer bread is that it can be changed depending on the season. Try a pumpkin, apple, or honey flavored beer for an extra flavor punch. I haven’t tried Guinness Beer Bread, but I hear that it is fabulous.
Beer Bread Recipe
When I visited grandma and she generously shared her recipe with me, we talked about why she did it the way she did. She actually used lard instead of butter as it was more economical and readily available. (They didn’t have much and always made use of what they had!) She would place the lard on top of the beer bread before placing in the oven. I found that fascinating and asked her why… she said ‘because that’s how my mom did it’. Fair enough!
I also listed salt as optional in this recipe. We love a saltier bread and even sprinkled some sea salt over the finished product! You can certainly omit the salt if you prefer.
Sugar in Beer Bread
Grandma also didn’t add sugar to hers, so I am leaving that out of the recipe. However, it is an important ingredient depending on the beer you use.
I started with an IPA beer and found that no additional sugar was needed. The power of that beer was enough to properly flavor the beer bread. I eventually ended up using a Miller Lite in the recipe (as we like to drink the IPA too and were out!) and didn’t think the bread was as flavorful. So I added 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and LOVED how it turned out. You can add anywhere from 1-4 tablespoons in this beer bread recipe, and it should be done according to your tastes.
If you prefer a sweeter beer bread but don’t want to use granulated sugar, you can use honey! About 1/4 cup works best in the recipe I have shared below.
Butter and Beer Bread
Butter matters! After making a zillion beer bread recipes I found that I liked a SALTED butter and that it should be as organic as possible. Dark in color and rich in flavor. If I was going to try and replicate what lard did in grandma’s recipe, I needed to make sure that I was using a high-quality butter! One of our favorites was an Amish salted butter that I found at the co-op. I also loved Challenge Butter!
Flavor Options for Beer Bread
As you will see from my base recipe, beer bread is one of those breads that can be easily customized to fit your tastes.
Beer Cheese Bread:
Add 1 to 1 1/4 cups cheddar cheese to the batter. I like to reserve about 1/4 cup to spread over the top of the bread before baking. You can also add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and dried rosemary to kick it up a notch!
Apple Beer Bread:
Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 cup of chopped apple, and use an apple-flavored beer. Try adding apple butter for over-the-top amazing flavor!
Chocolate Beer Bread:
Add in 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (plus more for sprinkling over the top), use 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and a chocolate flavored beer.
The sky is the limit when it comes to making beer bread! What is your favorite flavor?
Here is a video on how I made this Beer Bread. I used Coors for this version.
Beer Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups (330g) sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (optional)
- 1 can (12-ounces) beer, room temperature
- ½ cup (1 stick, 113g) salted or unsalted butter, cold
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a 9×5 glass loaf pan with butter or pan-release. (If you don't have glass try and use a light colored pan as a dark pan might bake the edges too quickly.)
- In a bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt. (add the sugar here if using)
- Whisk dry ingredients together.
- Pour in the beer and stir all ingredients until just combined and there are no dry parts. The batter will be thick.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth out if needed.
- Cut the butter into slices (roughly tablespoon size) and place on top of the raw batter evenly.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the bread is golden brown on top. There should be about 1/2 inch of melted butter bubbling at the bottom. (I start checking at 35 minutes and my bread is usually done. I have a convection oven.)
- Allow to cool on the counter for about 5 minutes or until all of the butter in the bottom of the pan is soaked back up into the bread.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Can I use non-alcoholic beer
My family can not get enough of this bread! It is so simple and easy, I am happy to make it for them anytime. We are cheese fiends so I like to make the cheese version and play around with the type of cheese and spices to match whatever we are having for dinner. Any leftovers are also delicious sliced and toasted with butter the next morning!
Ugh!!! This is overflowing molten butter all over my oven right now. Yes I used the correct sized loaf pan, yea I only used 1 stick of cold butter. Hopefully it tastes good, but I won’t ever make again because of this mess.
Substituted honey for sugar. It was great.
I want to make this as it looks delicious! I do however need to know the carbs and sugars in this. My daughter is a type 1 diabetic…so she needs to know. Thanks!
Check your flour and beer nutrition labels, don’t add any sugar. Add up carbs. Then count slices and figure it out. It will be exact for the brand you use.
I would like to make this recipe, however, I wanted to know if there is a substitution for beer? Thank you!
I use this bread recipe all the time. We love it especially with the butter on top. Very tasty.
Have you made this in a cast iron skillet?
Yes, its amazing
Looks amazing! Cooling now and I can’t wait to cut into it.
Too much salt! And I knew better to add that much. Hide behind your statement of that you listed as optional. You know it’s too much and I wasted ingredients and time. Will not be making another recipe from you.
I am not hiding behind my public statement, Margie. 😂 I listed salt as optional, sorry if you weren’t able to understand that.
If you knew it was “wrong” why did you do it? What kind of beer did you use? What kind of salt, was it sea salt? (very salty)