Easy Beer Bread
- PREP 10min
- COOK 55min
- TOTAL 1hrs 5min
This is my favorite recipe for beer bread. It’s no-knead and so easy to make. I love the golden-brown and buttery crust and the soft, tight crumb inside. Serve this bread with butter, honey, honey butter, apple butter, pumpkin butter, soups, stews, or as an appetizer with cheese.
You Will Need
3 cups (390g) self-rising flour, see notes for substitute
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
Pinch fine sea salt
4 twists black pepper
12 ounces beer, suggestions below
9 tablespoons (125g) butter, melted
1 ½ cups (5oz or 140g) grated cheese, like white cheddar, Gruyère, or Jarslberg
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and brush a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with a bit of the melted butter.
Whisk the self-rising flour, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
Pour in the beer and half of the melted butter. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until well combined. The mixture will look like thick pancake batter.
Fold in the cheese.
Transfer the dough to the prepared loaf pan, lightly pressing it into an even layer.
Brush the top with some of the remaining butter (leaving some butter for adding later on).
Bake for 30 minutes, rotate the pan in the oven, and brush on more butter. Bake for another 10 minutes. Repeat by rotating the pan, brushing on more butter, and bake for another 10 minutes.
Brush on any remaining butter, and bake for 5 minutes. A total bake time of 55 minutes. If you are getting too much color or want to stop the top from getting too brown, loosely tent the bread with foil.
The bread is fully baked when a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Transfer the loaf pan to a cooling rack and cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Use a butter knife to run around the edges, and gently turn the pan over to remove the loaf. Rest for another 10 minutes before slicing.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Store in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. Beyond that, the bread will begin to dry out. Or freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before enjoying. I like freezing slices for individual servings.
- Self-Raising Flour: Unlike all-purpose flour, self-rising flour adds baking powder and salt. For 3 cups of self-rising flour, whisk 3 cups of all-purpose flour with 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
- Butter: I love salted butter in this recipe. To reduce the salt, substitute unsalted.
- Beer Suggestions: Avoid hoppy beers. For this recipe, we enjoy lagers, pilsners, amber ales, and stout beer.
- Leave out cheese: Cheese and butter make this bread super flavorful, but you can leave the cheese out and still make the recipe.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.