Good recipes for beer bread?

April 5, 2009 1:04 AM

I have a recipe for beer bread that I found in an old Junior League cookbook that has become a staple at our house, but I'd like to try other recipes and variations on the theme. Does anyone have a fairly simple, delicious beer bread recipe? Either quick bread or yeast bread? Many thanks!
posted by ragtimepiano to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

I have my step-mother's recipe for Quick Beer Bread, and I remember enjoying it immensely, though I've never made it myself:

3 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 (12oz.) can of beer

Preheat oven to 375. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then slowly add in beer, stirring until combined (the batter will seem too thick, but it's okay). Turn the batter into an 8-inch loaf pan and bake for approx. 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Sometimes she got creative and added cheese or onion, but I don't know what quantities.
posted by amyms at 1:59 AM on April 5, 2009

amyms recipe is basically the same one I use and it is the perfect combination of ease and deliciousness. I would add is that it's important to sift your flour. Also, I usually bake it at 350 for 55-60 minutes. If you're not worried about a calorie count you can brush a tablespoon of melted butter over it before you toss it into the oven.
posted by Quizicalcoatl at 5:39 AM on April 5, 2009

Would this kind of recipe work with apple cider, say Strongbow? 'Cause that is what is in my fridge right now :)
posted by SNACKeR at 5:41 AM on April 5, 2009

(don't mean to hijack)
posted by SNACKeR at 5:53 AM on April 5, 2009

3 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
12 oz beer (Guinness is really good with this, but regular beers are too)

Preheat oven to 325. Mix the flour and sugar together, then slowly pour the beer down the sides of the bowl and mix. Put in buttered loaf pan. Bake 30 minutes, baste the top with melted butter, bake another 30 minutes, baste again, then bake a final 30 minutes (1.5 hrs total).
posted by misskaz at 7:06 AM on April 5, 2009

A Year in Bread has an excellent post about quick and easy variations on the quick bear bread. The variations mostly include adding herbs. You can also add about a cup of finely grated cheese (cheddar works best, in my opinion) for cheesey bread.

I wouldn't think cider would work, as it's fermented juice and not brewed yeast, but I'm no bread expert.
posted by crush-onastick at 7:16 AM on April 5, 2009

Farmgirl has some great beer bread mix ins and variations. I've made her whole wheat beer bread several times, it's seriously awesome on it's own. I also like to experiment with different beers.
posted by piedmont at 8:56 AM on April 5, 2009

I would give cider a try - i'm not sure it's the yeast in beer that's making it rise. After all, you can make cake with just cake mix and a can of coke or (I just learned) a can of pureed pumpkin and it still rises. And beer bread is more cake-y than bread-y.

Thanks to this thread I made a batch this morning with Leffe Blonde (a fruity abbey ale). The fruitiness really comes through in the finished product. Yum.
posted by misskaz at 10:46 AM on April 5, 2009

I would definitely search the recipe archives on . I am never disappointed with their selection of beer anything!
posted by eggerspretty at 10:49 AM on April 5, 2009

My GF and I make beer bread on occasion, and generally use amyms' recipe. Sometimes we add dill, and once I added some raisins and an extra tablespoon of sugar or so to make the bread more "desserty". Also, we've found that wheat beers typically make a good tasting bread, while less substantial beers (we used Pacifico once) don't do so well.
posted by LionIndex at 11:20 AM on April 5, 2009

am currently (right now!) making the amyns recipe with an ESB... smells good so far
posted by edgeways at 3:14 PM on April 5, 2009

A slight variation:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Grease one loaf pan (5 by 8 or so).
3. Combine: 3 cups self rising flour (If you want to use regular flour, it's apparently 3 cups reg flour, 1.5 tsp salt, 4.5 tsp baking powder, but I haven't tried this).
3 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs oil (olive oil works fine)
1 bottle (12 oz) of beer (I use Nut Brown Ale, but it probably would work with most anything).
Mix until combined, but no further. Pour the dough into the pan.
4. Melt 1/2 a stick of unsalted butter in the microwave, and pour it over the top of the bread.
5. Bake 35-50 minutes. You can test if it's ready by inserting a clean knife into the top; if it's not cooked through you'll see batter on the knife when you remove it.

Enjoy!
posted by you're a kitty! at 3:28 PM on April 5, 2009

Oh and I'll back up Quizicalcoatl, sifting the flour is critical if you don't want rock-hard crust.
posted by you're a kitty! at 3:29 PM on April 5, 2009

Here's a variation I invented, because I make a lot of Ginger beer.

3 cups wholemeal flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup dried fruit.
350ml ginger beer [homebrewed is best, but bought will work]

For the fruit, I normally use raisins, apricots and dates [chopping up the apricots & dates], but use whatever you have. Dried cranberries are good.

Cover the dried fruit with boiling water & leave until cool.

Preheat oven to 180C.
Mix dry ingredients together, making sure to break up any lumps in the sugar.
Add the fruit, including the water & mix well.
Stir in the ginger beer, mixing just enough to combine completely.
The result should be the consistency of thick porridge - add more gingerbeer or water if required.
Pour into a greased loaf tin and bake for ~1 hour.

Optional: Add zest of a lemon to the dried fruit.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 4:25 PM on April 5, 2009 [2 favorites]

It's not my post, but my best answers go to
amyms for the basic recipe, without self-rising flour
crush-onastick for cheddar cheese (just made) and
HiroProtagonist for the sweetened recipe (which is cooling in my kitchen with a thick fudge stripe as I write this.)
posted by whatzit at 4:41 AM on April 7, 2009