Homemade Beer Bread Recipe
Pour out a cold one for this simple, no-rise-required loaf
Beer and bread have similar creation stories: Yeast meets sugar; sugar becomes carbon dioxide and alcohol; tasty carbohydrate is made.
So it's only natural that sooner or later, the two would get hopped up on each other, which is exactly what happens in this simple no-rise loaf. The carbonation in the beer, plus a hefty amount of baking powder, lifts the dough for a quick bread that tastes fermented, thanks to dormant yeast in the bottle. And aside from the speedy start-to-finish time (let's face it, waiting just sucks sometimes), the beer gives your final result a uniquely hopped flavor.
The beauty of this recipe is that similar to beer made with food, each loaf tastes different depending on your brew of choice. We went with a classic Stella lager for our standard version, but it's a good way to use any leftover pumpkin brews during autumn or fruitier ones in the spring. Experiment with ingredient swaps to complement your beer—say, a cup of oat flour to match an oatmeal stout—or adding cinnamon to a pumpkin-ale-based loaf.
Note: I've made this many times with PBR, and no one was any the wiser.
Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 12 ounces lager (or beer of your choice)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease an 8½-by-4½ loaf pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar to combine.
- Pour in the beer and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and top with the butter.
- Bake the bread until golden brown and firm, about 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then allow it to cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Calories per Serving | 233 |
Total Fat | 3.3 g |
Saturated Fat | 1.9 g |
Trans Fat | 0.1 g |
Cholesterol | 7.6 mg |
Total Carbohydrates | 42.4 g |
Dietary Fiber | 1.3 g |
Total Sugars | 4.5 g |
Sodium | 232.7 mg |
Protein | 5.1 g |