Beer Bread

Our soft, buttery Beer Bread recipe is a quick bread that bakes with no yeast! This easy beer bread recipe has a buttery crust with a nice soft, dense crumb. It is perfect for serving alongside soup or for slathering in butter and jam. 

 

Whether you’re intimidated by baking with yeast or you just don’t have any on hand, this beer bread recipe is the perfect solution to your bread needs! No yeast needed!

And, hey, even if you do have yeast and are a total pro at making homemade bread (like our quick dinner rolls or dutch oven bread), this beer bread is still worthy of your attention, because it. is. good.

That buttery crust. The dense interior. 

The pile of melty butter. <— Okay, a pile of butter isn’t required, but actually it is, because warm bread + butter is the most soul satisfying food I know of! Really level up by trying this with bacon butter. 

This is an easy beer bread recipe with just 6 ingredients, so let’s get started!

What Is Beer Bread?

Beer bread is a type of quick bread that is super simple to prepare and doesn’t require any yeast or waiting for the dough to rise.

The carbonation in the beer works as a leavening agent in place of the yeast, and the baking powder helps with that too.

It’s a soft, dense, crumbly bread with a crisp crust that is great for serving alongside soup, chili, or with your favorite jam.

We love to serve this with something hearty, like our Instant Pot Turkey Chili or something simple, like tomato soup recipe.

Ingredient Notes:

Flour – Just plain all purpose flour works great here. You could try using half white and half whole wheat, if that’s your style.

Beer – We prefer an IPA here, but use whatever you like to drink.

Butter – You’ll need some melted butter for brushing the pan and the bread.

Sugar

Baking Powder

Salt

How To Make Beer Bread: 

Prepare: First, you’ll want to butter a loaf pan. We like a nice buttery crust in this house, so we’re not shy about it.

Dry Ingredients: Then you’ll just whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. 

Beer: Pour in your favorite beer until you have a nice dough and then transfer that to your loaf pan.

Bake: You’re going to want a bit more melted butter to brush over the top. Then pop this in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes.

Serve: And obviously, right after it comes out of the oven you’re going to brush it with just a little more butter. I’m sorry, but this is how life works. 

The crust will get golden and gorgeous, the interior will be soft and miraculous, the smells happening inside your house will make your cry actual tears. <- Happy tears, of course.

Just make this bread, you guys. It’s a winner!

What To Serve With Beer Bread:

We like to serve this up in nice thick slices, but you can use this beer bread to make sandwiches, just slice a little thinner.

There are two routes to take here and only you can choose the right one…savory or sweet.

If you’re feeling like serving this up with some savory soups or stews, may I recommend this crockpot broccoli cheese soup, crockpot potato soup, or Instant Pot vegetable soup? Give this Rustic Tuscan Tortellini Soup a try!

We’re also big fans of dunking pieces of the beer bread in this ham and bean soup.

If you’d like to go the sweet route, I recommend warm bread, a thick smear of butter, and as much homemade jam as you can handle. I haven’t shared my homemade raspberry jam yet, but look for it to come this summer! 

My crockpot apple butter would also go well on this bread and makes for a nice fall treat, or try my cinnamon honey butter any time of year.

FAQ’s: