Super easy beer bread

Beer bread made with stout served Back when I was in my 20s, as a swinging bachelor I spent much of my free time at the gym. Then when the weekend rolled around, I was going out with buddies to the bars to find the ladies. I was not as fortunate to meet that special someone as quickly as many of my friends.

Many of my buddies were getting domesticated by their girlfriends and becoming husbands. These nights out at the bar were eventually graduated into house parties. House parties were hosted by buddies who were now married men and their girlfriends, now wives. These house parties usually included an open bar. Granted, the other singles like myself started at these house parties and headed on to the singles bars with the other stags. But the domesticated couples had a trick up their sleeves to keep our friend group together. Food. An open bar suddenly included food which was a game changer. As many will note, after some drinks, a little food is good on the tummy.

My instant romance with beer bread

I was at a gathering hosted by a great friend of mine named Rob and his lovely new wife, Laura. When I look back, Laura was one of the original foodies of my life. She had this amazing almost cake-like bread served with a garlicy-herb dip. I was hooked after the first chomp. This bread was moist, rich, and had a wonderful “chew”. Laura revealed that I loved “beer bread”.

Beer bread was a new concept for me. I loved beer and why not love the bread it made? I’ve made beer bread off and on throughout my adult life with varying recipes. Usually, you can also buy beer bread “kits” almost anywhere where you simply add a beer and throw the mixture in the oven.

We decided to make beer bread at TnF Farms

If you don’t consider yourself much of a baker, beer bread can make you look like a refined, baking champion. Instead of using yeast as a leavening agent, and waiting for the dough to rise. Or need a bunch of complex ingredients, beer bread uses a room-temperature beer! It’s known for its simplicity, requiring minimal ingredients and time.

So let’s break this down. You need flour, a little baking powder to give the dough a quick lift, a fat, some seasonings for taste, and a room-temperature beer!

Let’s start cooking

First, set your oven to 350. Then locate a bread pan. Find a large bowl or break out your Kitchen Aide mixer.

We need a fat. At the time we were making this, I didn’t consider bacon grease. So we used a stick of room temperature (or melted) butter. I unwrapped this one from the refrigerator and left it out for a couple of hours.

Now it’s time for some really easy dry ingredients. We need 3 cups of all-purpose flour, a tablespoon of baking powder, and salt and sugar to taste. Easy rule of thumb, a teaspoon of salt and a ¼ cup of sugar. You can adjust from there to your personal preference. Increase the sugar to make it more cake-like or add herbs, onion, and garlic for some kick.

Then you add the miracle ingredient. BEER! Since we’re located deep in the south, I happen to have a bottle from one of America’s finest, oldest breweries. This may be blasphemous, but I am going to crack this room-temperature beer and gently pour it into the bread mixture while the Kitchen Aide mixer is going. If you’re mixing by hand, this is easily done in a short time with a spatula.

We don’t let the mixer go any longer than it needs to. Once the beer is completely mixed in, turn it off and let it rest. Use this time to take a generous pat of butter to grease a bread pan.

Wisdom has taught me to take a spoonful of flour and shake it around the greased pan. I then take a spatula and transfer the dough to the pan.

Time to bake

With the oven pre-heated to 350, I bake the bread for 1 hour. Since this bread is more of a snack/treat than a sandwich bread, I give the top a sprinkle of sugar and savory seasonings or sharp cheddar before putting it into the oven.

Cook times may vary based on your elevation. You can use the toothpick test – stab the bread. If the toothpick comes out clean, your bread is done. If you get “gook” on the toothpick, give it another 5 minutes and try again. For us, we resulted in a marvelous bread. It rose and was perfect.

After cooling, and slicing, I could tell there was no binder as it was crumbly. I no sooner sliced the bread and put pats of butter on for the pictures before my lovely, “hangry” wife Faith tackled me and proceeded to gobble up the warm buttery slices.

beer bread made with lager served

Beer bread is appreciated for its simplicity, versatility, and the unique taste that the beer imparts to the final product. It’s a quick and easy option for those who want to enjoy homemade bread without the time-consuming process of traditional yeast-based recipes.

Let’s do a second take with a twist on beer bread.

In my youth, I used whatever cheap beer was on hand. As a 20-something, this was a “light” can of beer from my fridge. In the above recipe, I used a Yuengling Lager.

So let’s repeat the process with my more mature tastes. Make it again but using a Guinness stout. What does this beer change? It’s dark and nitro-foamy beer. Not carbonated.

With nothing changed in the recipe but the beer, I measured out 12 oz from the can and added it to the mixture.

The dough is not as sticky and the mixture is more watery instead of doughy. I let the bowl sit for a few minutes to firm up while I greased the bread pan.

The dough made with stout did not rise as much and the bread did not rise as high after baking.

The bread was very much the same otherwise. I expected more of a color change. I noted it did slice a little less crumbly and the bread overall had a smoother, richness over the previous loaf. If you go to make your own, any room-temperature beer will work. A cheap can of beer vs an expensive bottle of the same type of beer will yield indiscernible results. The type of beer will add the flavor of that beer to the bread. Example: an IPA with grapefruit will transfer that hoppy, grapefruit taste into the bread.

Beer bread made with stout served