This is the unofficial official easiest beer bread worth giving up that can of beer for!
You’ve struck complete gold because the dough base for this beer bread is easy and you can use your bread maker from start to finish to make this recipe!
The flavorful bread made from beer is not quick bread mix beer bread but it is a bread that is quick to make!
Is this unsophisticated, an admittedly humble recipe made in a bread machine totally worth parting with a 1 beloved can of beer? YES!
Today’s featured beer bread encourages you to give up just 1 can of beer and in exchange, you will receive a fail-proof, crusty bread with a soft, yet dense interior!
Why You’ll Love Beer Bread That Is Not Quick Bread Mix Beer Bread
That’s right, you won’t find a box of quick bread in my house and it is no loss!
However, my simple recipe using a can of beer to make bread is definitely a lazy man’s beer bread or a lazy girl’s method to make bread with 1 can of beer in very little time!
Beer is something many of us have in our homes already and if you don’t get your hands on some is not hard.
Suffice it to say, beer is readily available, part with a can of it, and make beer bread, because you can use beer in bread recipes.
Beer is fabulous, but bread made with beer is better!
Make loaves of bread with beer or make beer bread so it is a versatile recipe and beer rolls are really delicious too!
You can jump to the recipe, but you’ll miss out on a fair amount of tips, and insight!
Beer Bread In A Bread Machine Is Fast and Easy
This bread that anyone can make is not heavy, dense, plain, or flat instead, it is light, crusty, and perfect every single time!
Those types of bread are heavy, dense, and just plain, well…flat!
When I think of quick bread, those are what I imagine, not beer bread.
Move away from making quick bread, and try this recipe, I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised and rewarded for both the texture and flavor that you will arrive at!
Beer bread is soft and perfect for sandwiches or just as a side to a meal, but it also offers a nice crunch on the exterior crust.
I don’t know what it is about beer bread, but I make several variations of it and each one serves a purpose!
How Do You Make The Dough For Beer Bread?
I love my bread machine and it lets me focus on other tasks, while still allowing me the opportunity to prepare fresh bread as it does the work.
You might have guessed that I use my bread machine to make beer bread dough mixture and you are right!
However, if you have the attachment for your stand mixer you can also create the bread that I am about to share with you as well.
Naturally, for those that don’t have a stand mixer or a bread machine, you can do this by hand, it is just a bit more work than I am willing to put in, but it is doable!
Beer Bread Basics & Flour
When I use beer, I use less yeast and so will you.
IF I used self-rising flour (when I am out of bread flour) I eliminate the salt.
You should too.
I use bread flour because it offers a moister bread inconsistency, but self-rising flour is fine as well, just not as ‘moist’.
However, if you have NEVER baked bread, you won’t know the difference, use what you’ve got and go from there.
Need the Recipe for Self-Rising Flour, just touch this whole sentence and you will have it!
My Beer Bread Reflects my Heritage
In case you have not read many of my recipes, or visited my site before, welcome, and thanks for dropping by!
I am Italian, and I love my EVOO or Extra Virgin Olive Oil and I use it in much of my cooking, at least the recipes that are not being prepared at super high heat levels!
Do not skimp on the olive oil, make sure to use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe!
Now if you don’t have olive oil, you will need a fat source of some sort.
You can sub in butter for olive oil.
But the trade of butter to olive oil is different (see the recipe for the conversion tip)
How to Get That Crunchy Bottom Crust?
I like a crispy bottom on all my bread.
What I do to get that crispy is add cornmeal or brown rice flour.
Don’t put too much of either on the baking trays.
But I will tell you, the crunch on the bottom of the bread just adds something to the bread, known as texture!
What Can I Add to The Recipe For Heartiness?
Instead of keeping the bread plain, you can mix in other ingredients.
Optional Mix-Ins for beer bread are pretty unlimited (not liquid but solid) and based upon your preferences!
- Cheese is great for this bread: cheddar, swiss, gruyere, mozarella, etc.
- sunflower seeds + pepita seeds for a bit of a crunch
- sesame seeds
- caraway seeds ground a bit
- I’ve even had someone write in and tell me they added figs, but I am not feeling that, even being Italian.. but hey we all have different tastes!
How do you get MORE texture on the top of the bread?
I am so happy you asked me this question!
Brush the bread with any of the following before baking!
- sesame seeds
- poppy seeds
- sunflower seeds
- everything but the bagel topping
- shredded cheese (but I do that after it’s baked so it does not BURN
Here’s What I’ve Learned as I’ve Tested Baking With Beer in My Breads
Are you wondering if beer bread tastes like beer?
No. TO keep it short and sweet.
However, beer really makes a great-tasting bread.
That said, I use simple beers, nothing fancy, not lagers, not ales.
Why?
Sometimes those beers are nasty in the bread unless I have time to balance them out with spices or sugar.
I prefer to use basic beers that have been around forever to create beer bread.
Miller Genuine Draft, Coors, Coors Light, these all work well and are just the beginning of beer options.
Also, I use the WHOLE can of beer.
I don’t believe there is a right or wrong beer, but there are good beers waiting to be discovered in your recipe!
Bread Tips When Baking With Beer
Do know that you should bring the bread OUT Of the oven and allow it to cool for at least an hour.
The bread needs to ‘set up’.
While that may not be the right word, cutting the bread right away not only smooshed the loaf but ruins what the texture could be.
Waiting is difficult, especially when you have freshly baked bread, but well worth the wait.
In fact, you will shortly learn why Beer Bread Worth Giving Up That Can Of Beer.
I have left you optional ingredients and steps on the recipe.
Your choice really whether you want to use them or not.
Garlic salt is underrated atop bread, but it’s an additional option!
Coarsely ground salt is also delicious.
Olive oil will crisp the top up and you really need to watch that you don’t BURN the bread.
Have fun and let me know how your bread turns out!
I can’t wait to see it.
Beer Bread That is Not Quick Bread
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Can of Beer we used Miller Genuine Draft In A Can
- 1/8 C of White Sugar
- 1/8 C of Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Tsp of Salt
- 3 1/2 C of Bread Flour if you sub-self-rising flour don’t add salt!
- 1 3/4 Tsp Yeast rapid rise, or bread machine yeast
- Cornmeal
- Baking stone or large baking tray or odd shaped dishes that can be baked in
- Kitchen Scissors
- 1/4 Flour in reserved for work surface and fingers
Instructions
- Order of Ingredients – Wet to Dry.
- Put the following ingredients into the bread machine.
- Olive oil
- Beer (no need to flatten, pour and let settle)
- White Sugar.
- Brown Sugar.
- Salt.
- Flour.
- Well made in the middle of the flour with the finger.
- Yeast.
- Set to DOUGH Mode (Generally 1.5 hours)
- Remove once the cycle is complete to a lightly floured workspace.
- Preheat oven to 175° F and turn off once the temperature is reached.
- Next, divide the dough in 1/2.
- Treat each bowl with either nonstick spray or a quick olive oil brushing ( I use olive oil)
- Sprinkle cornmeal onto the baking surface and rising surface bakeware (unless you are using a pizza stone).
- Work with each piece of dough, tucking it into itself a few times.
- Make sure it is not ‘gooey’ anywhere and if it is, adds a little flour from workspace to loaf.
- Place each bread loaf onto the baking tray (stone) or baking dish you have chosen to use.
- Keeping enough distance for rising and not touching. (if you are using ONE tray and not separate baking dishes.
- Once loaves are made, cover the tray with parchment paper or bread cloth.
- Place the tray inside preheated (shut off) oven and allow to rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour (until the bread has doubled in size, but NO longer than an hour).
- Pull bread out of the oven and preheat oven to 400° F
- Once the oven temperature is ready, uncover the bread.
- *Optional – mist each loaf with water and garlic salt or spice of preferred sort
- Cut three slits across the top of bread (optional again but I do it each time)
- Place in the oven without cover, and bake until tops are golden brown and bottoms are cooked.
- Generally, 25 minutes is enough. (Ovens vary)
- Remove from oven using pot holders (tray will be HOT)
- Allow bread to cool for up to one hour before serving.
- Slice and enjoy it!
- Bread can store for up to 4 days before any sort of natural molding may appear.
Notes
- Conversion if you don’t use Extra Virgin Olive Oil and instead use butter:
- Butter is 3/4 Tablespoon to every 1 Tablespoon of oil
- Also, the butter has to be melted, not boiled but not whole either.
- Soft, and able to be combined, not left in chunks.
