Easy Beer Bread (Buttery Crust!)

Beer bread is the answer to homemade bread without the fuss! This simple recipe uses beer, cheese, and a few pantry ingredients to make a tasty and easy loaf with a delicious buttery crust. Full of flavor and so easy to make.

When we want delicious, homemade bread without the effort of kneading and rising, we use this simple beer bread recipe. Here are a few reasons why beer bread is so amazing:

1. Quick: Skip the lengthy kneading and rising times. Self-rising flour and beer’s carbonation make this bread so easy.
2. Beginner-friendly: Even if you’ve never baked a loaf in your life, this recipe is foolproof.
3. Customizable: The flavor combinations are endless, from savory to sweet, cheesy to spicy.
4. Versatile: Perfect snack, game-day appetizer, or a side dish to soups and stews.

Serve homemade beer bread with butter, honey butter, apple butter, pumpkin butter, soups, chili, or as an appetizer with cheese.

The Best Beer for Beer Bread

You do taste the beer used in this bread recipe, so use something you already enjoy the flavor of. Here are some suggestions for the best beer to use for homemade beer bread.

• Lagers and Pilsners: Clean and crisp, these offer classic flavors that complement the bread without overpowering it.
• Amber Ales: Add malty sweetness and nutty notes.
• Stouts: Their richer, often bittersweet profile creates a more complex flavor. They also add color, like in this stout beer bread recipe.
• Avoid: Overly hoppy beers like IPAs and APAs, as their bitterness can be too strong for the bread. Most beers label the IBU level, which shares how bitter the beer tastes.

Best Cheese to Use

Most cheese will work when making beer bread. In our photos, we used a sharp white cheddar. Chef Richard loves Gruyère and made a version of this bread with Jarlsberg cheese, adding a sweeter note.

• Sharp: Aged cheddar, Gruyère, parmesan
• Spicy: Pepper jack, Monterey Jack
• Melty: Mozzarella, Fontina, Jarlsberg, or Swiss
• Mix and Match: Create your own custom blends!

How to Make Beer Bread

If you can stir ingredients together in a bowl, you can make beer bread. The full recipe is below, but I’ll quickly walk you through the process here.

To start, we’ll mix self-raising flour, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Self-raising flour is a secret in this recipe since it already has baking powder and a little salt mixed in. If you don’t have self-raising flour, I’ve included a DIY version in the tips section of the recipe below.

Now, pour in 12 ounces of beer (a whole can, in my case) and some melted butter. Then, combine that with your shredded cheese. Our photos show that the mixture resembles a thick pancake batter rather than dough.

Spoon mixture into a loaf pan, and top with some melted butter. We’ll add more melted butter later to encourage a golden brown, crisp, buttery crust! I’ve seen many beer bread recipes that look almost white after baking. This trick of basting melted butter on top while our bread bakes gives the most beautiful crust!

Storing Your Beer Bread

• Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. Beyond that, the bread will begin to dry out.
• Refrigerator: We don’t recommend refrigerating beer bread since the fridge environment tends to dry it out.
• Freezing: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before enjoying. I like freezing slices for individual servings.