You can make this easy beer bread with nothing more than self-rising flour, sugar, and beer. There’s no yeast, no kneading, and no rise time. It’s easy! It’s quick! You can make it using a bowl and a spoon and enjoy eating it in about an hour.
To make great beer bread, however, you need some butter. Most beer bread fans agree that the melted butter gives this fabulous bread its perfectly chewy, delicious crust.
Pour melted butter over the loaf and brush it all over the crust as soon as it comes out of the oven; let it soak in, then eat it warm. It’s great with soup! After the first round, it slices and toasts beautifully when the bread is cool.
You can use any beer you like. Light, bland, or a pale ale works great. Cheap beer works just as well as more expensive brews. The bread will have a yummy, malty, slightly sweet, and not-very-beery flavor. You can use a stout if you want, but the darker the beer, the more pronounced the beery taste will be.
Whisk the sugar and self-rising flour in a medium mixing bowl, then pour in the lukewarm beer. The mixture will immediately get all excited when the yeast in the beer meets the sugar and baking powder in the self-rising flour. There will be lots of bubbles!
If you don’t have self-rising flour, you do not need to go to the store and buy any. There is an easy workaround! Add three tablespoons of baking powder and a teaspoon of salt to three cups of all-purpose flour, whisk them together well, and then add the sugar and the beer.
It’s important not to overmix the batter. Stir it just enough that no streaks of flour show. Over-mixing will make the bread tough.
Grease a standard nine-by-five-inch loaf pan and lightly spoon the batter into the pan. No loaf pan? You can make this in a deep-dish pie pan, a nine-inch round, or an eight-inch square pan instead!
Use the spoon to gently level the batter and slide the loaf into a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes; remove it from the oven and pour melted butter over the top as evenly as you can, then bake it for about another ten minutes.
When you take the easy beer bread out of the oven, lay the loaf pan on its side and let it cool. If you like, add more melted butter to the finished loaf after removing it from the pan! As I researched this bread, I found some recipes that call for up to an entire stick of butter! I vote yes!
When you want to change up the flavor profile of beer bread, you can add about one and one-half teaspoons of garlic powder or two teaspoons of a dried herb like rosemary or basil. Want it cheesy? Add about 2/3 cup of shredded or grated cheese like cheddar, pepper jack, or Parmesan!
Add a bit of the dried herb to the crust when you add to better for a beautiful garnish! Beer bread is so quick and easy to make you’ll want to play with variations and find your favorites!
For best results, use a serrated knife to slice beer bread. The crust is craggy and firm, but the middle is tender. I cut it into about twelve slices and hide the crispy ends for myself! Eat it warm with plenty more butter! This bread is especially delicious with soup!
When the bread is cool, you can slice it thinner. It makes wonderful toast. Double wrap it in plastic film, then aluminum foil to freeze it for up to six months.
Don’t forget how welcome a loaf of beer bread can be for a hostess, thank you, or welcome-to-the-neighborhood gift! Wrap it in a festive checked napkin or tea towel for an unforgettable presentation!
PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD
A quick and easy bread made with four ingredients, ready to eat in about an hour.
*If you do not have self-rising flour, whisk the three cups of all-purpose flour, 4 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoons of salt. Mix all these ingredients well to distribute the baking powder and salt evenly within the flour.
This easy beer bread recipe is exceptionally good for how easy it is to make and perfect for the impatient or inexperienced bread baker! You may also love these bread recipes, Rustic Bread or Quick French Bread. Type soup in the search bar for some of our favorite soup recipes to go with your yummy bread!
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Love, GB (Betty Streff)
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