This bread complements a warm bowl of soup or a roast beautifully – and there’s rarely any left after the meal! It’s also delicious as an appetizer with spinach dip. It’s a very frugal alternative to boxed mixes and most people say they can’t taste any difference!
BEER BREAD
3 cups all-purpose flour*
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
1 (12 oz) can of beer (or other carbonated beverage)
¼ cup melted butter (optional)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Mix dry ingredients with one 12-ounce can of beer (or any other carbonated beverage).
Transfer into a greased 9×5″ loaf pan.
Optional: pour 1/4 cup melted butter over batter. - Bake 50-55 minutes, until loaf is golden brown and pulls away from sides.
Remove from pan. Cool 15-30 minutes before slicing.
Variations:
- Add 2 tablespoons dill, Italian seasoning, or garlic powder.
- Try it with ½ – 1 cup cheddar cheese mixed in the batter.
- Use an orange or cherry soda for a sweet twist!
*NOTE: You can substitute self-rising flour for all-purpose flour. When using self-rising flour, OMIT the baking powder and salt.
Mix up the dry ingredients (minus the beverage) and put them in a nice bag tied with a ribbon for an easy gift idea or gift basket addition!
Do you think the beer needs to be “fresh”? We have a couple old cans of beer laying around that my husband won’t drink and this might be a good way to use them up?! I’m too cheap to just dump them down the drain!
@Carolyn, As long as it still has the carbonation necessary to make the bread rise, I think it should work. We rarely have beer in the house, so I know I’ve made it before with beer that’s been around for a while! Sprite or 7-Up (even root beer) works well, too!
@Carolyn, I used expired beer to make beer bread from Tastefully Simple last week and it was delish! The Beer also smelled fine. If it smells “skunky” then dump it!
hope it turns out… just put some in the oven using Coke, no beer here… Batter seemed really thick, but it should be perfect for the Chili I just made yesterday. Perfect timing, Thanks Jolyn!
@jen, The batter is fairly thick from what I remember (and a little lumpy) – let me know how it turns out!
@Jolyn,
It was a little dry, but i didnt sift my flour (such a rookie!) but way better than I thought after I saw the batter
I never sift my flour, either (a little lazy, yes, but I also thought it wasn’t necessary with today’s pre-sifted flours!). It’s not a moist bread (if you compare it to a traditional sandwich bread), so it’s hard to know if yours was on the dry side or normal. You can always try adding a little less flour next time…
Also, Jolyn- How do I get follow up comments from your posts emailed to me, Can I still do that?
@jen, The blog is set up to automatically email you when a response to your comment is posted – did it work for you?
Hi Jolyn,
I LOVE when you post recipes! I’ve tried a few and they’ve always been great!
I’m a huge fan of your recipes, too, so keep them coming!
It’s in the oven right now! Trying it with Gluten-free flour and beer….keeping my fingers crossed!
Love your blog!
Thanks!
Anna
Coincidentally, I just made this recipe on Friday, when I served it with potato soup!
Instead of using melted butter, I spritz the top with spray butter and sprinkle it with Kosher salt for a little extra flavor. We love it, and I’m happy that I found a good alternative to the expensive mixes I used to buy!
Thanks! I love the box mixes but hate paying the price! I always make mine with Mt. Dew…it gives the bread a sweet taste. Can’t wait to try this!!!
We love beer bread. Haven’t made it in quite awhile…funny how you forget about recipes & then rediscover them. Thanks for being the catalyst.
Thanks for the recipe. I was making soup for dinner last night so I threw this recipe together and my family ate it all up! I added the garlic powder and it was delicious. The bread was very moist. Definately a keeper!
I cannot wait to try this!!! We LOVE beer bread here! Usually make it with coke or cream soda!
I’ve made this several times since the last time you posted it. My whole family loves this bread (I usually use the garlic powder). I don’t use the melted butter at all on top and it’s still delicious. Thanks for such a great recipe!