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My favorite honey beer bread recipe is ultra-easy to make with just 6 ingredients (no yeast required) and tastes so buttery and delicious!
Looking for an easy homemade bread recipe that doesn’t require a packet of yeast?
This honey beer bread recipe is here for you. ♡
If you have never made beer bread before, I’m telling you, bread-baking doesn’t get any easier than this! Simply stir 5 basic ingredients together (flour, baking powder, salt, beer and honey), brush melted butter on top of the batter, and bake until golden. Then — voila! — in less than an hour, the most delicious, buttery, cozy and comforting beer bread will yours to enjoy in no time.
It can be served up with just about any kind of meal, although we’re especially partial to dipping it in soups and stews at our house. It can also be easily frozen and saved for later, if you would like. And it’s also easy to customize with various herbs or a handful of shredded cheese, if you would like.
I have probably made this recipe hundreds of times, and thousands of our readers have made and loved it too. So if you haven’t yet given it a try, I say it’s time! ♡
Honey Beer Bread Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Honey Beer Bread Ingredients:
All you need are 6 simple ingredients to make this honey beer bread recipe:
All-purpose flour:This recipe is total comfort food for me, so I have only ever made it with all-purpose flour.
Baking powder:To help the bread rise.
Salt:I used fine sea salt.
Honey:Which balances out the savory flavors here with the perfect hint of sweetness.
Beer:I typically use an IPA, but just about any kind of favorite beer will work in this recipe!
Butter:Which we will use to grease the pan and brush on top of the bread to give it some extra-delicious buttery flavor.
How To Make Beer Bread:
Alright, here are the basic steps for how to make beer bread — it couldn’t be easier!
Make the batter. Super simple! Just stir together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then stir in the beer and honey until combined.
Add the butter. Pour about half of the melted butter intoa 9×5-inch bread pan, and brush it all around to grease the inside of the pan. Add the batter and spread it out in an even layer. Then brush the remaining melted butter evenly on top of the batter.
Bake. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove and transfer the pan to a wire baking rack and let the bread cool for at least 10 minutes.
Serve. Slice with a bread knife, serve warm and enjoy!
(Detailed recipe instructions and ingredient amounts included in the full recipe below.)
Possible Beer Bread Variations:
Want to customize this beer bread recipe? Feel free to…
Add herbs:Stir some fresh or dried herbs into the batter. (I especially love adding in some fresh or dried rosemary.)
Add garlic:Feel free to also mince a clove or two of garlic and add it to the batter to make garlic beer bread.
Add cheese:Add in a cup or so of shredded cheese to make cheesy beer bread.
More Easy Bread Recipes:
Looking for more easy bread recipes to bake? Here are a few of my faves!
This honey beer bread recipe is quick and easy to make with just 6 simple ingredients! See notes above for possible seasonings that you can add in too.
Ingredients
Scale
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup honey*
1 bottle (12 ounces) beer
1/4 cup butter, melted
Instructions
Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F.
Make the batter. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt until combined. Slowly pour the beer and honey into the flour mixture, and stir until combined.
Add the butter. Pour half of the melted butter into the bottom of a 9×5-inch bread pan, and brush it around to grease the inside of the pan. Add the batter and spread it out in an even layer. Then brush the remaining melted butter evenly on top of the batter.
Bake. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove and transfer the pan to a wire baking rack and let the bread cool for at least 10 minutes.
Serve. Slice with a bread knife, serve warm and enjoy!
Honey:If your honey seems super-thick and does not drizzle easily, I recommend warming it up in the microwave or on the stovetop for a few seconds so that it will mix into the batter more easily.
Use room temperature beer: This helps the bread rise and creates a better texture than cold beer. Don't over-mix: After adding the beer to the dry ingredients, mix enough until just incorporated and nothing more. Overworking the dough will create a very dense loaf.
Lighter beers, such as lagers, ales and pilsners, will give your bread a lighter color, and mild taste that just about everyone loves. Darker beers like stouts and porters make a darker-colored loaf and have a stronger beer flavor. Hoppy beers like IPAs will give your bread a more bitter taste.
Bread, in particular, can greatly benefit from a sweet infusion. One of the best pairings for bread is honey. They work well together, as honey can provide excellent flavor, functionality and moisture to this product. Bakeries across the country experience this firsthand with their own unique varieties.
Luckily, if you encounter this problem every time you break out the beer and the batter, there is an easy fix for your next loaf: Watch how much you're working it. Overworking the dough of your beer bread will affect the texture, causing it to turn from soft and chewy to tough and condensed.
Bake the bread for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted about 1/2" into the top of the loaf comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
Keep in mind, the alcohol evaporates in the baking process, so it is safe for the kids to enjoy as well. Add in cheese if you like, it's not necessary, but it is delicious. Drizzling butter on top helps it have a nice crust. This beer bread comes together in less than 5 minutes and bakes in less than an hour!
Can You Use Something Other Than Beer in Beer Bread? Absolutely! Almost any carbonated or noncarbonated beverage can be used, including water, soda pop, milk or buttermilk, fruit juice and even creamed corn! In general substitute 12 fluid ounces of whatever liquid you choose in place of beer.
Of course, the final flavor depends a lot on the type of beer you choose to use. Some beers, such as IPAs, may give the bread a more bitter taste. What is this? I tend to stick with darker beers for a richer, less sour flavor.
It's important to note that when using beer in bread recipes, the alcohol content will cook off during the baking process, so the bread will not be alcoholic. Additionally, if you are sensitive to gluten, be sure to use a gluten-free beer or substitute another liquid, such as soda or carbonated water.
Baking With Honey Releases Toxic Compounds: Science's Perspective. Scientifically, heating honey changes its nutritional value and chemical composition.
Science confirms that heating or cooking honey does indeed damage it, thereby eliminating many of its beneficial effects. As per the National Center for Biotechnology, heating honey causes adverse effects. Cooking honey lowers its quality, and it loses essential enzymes and nutrients.
Uneven heat in your oven can be the culprit – if you loaf is nicely golden on the outside but gummy or moist in the inside, it's baking too quickly on the outside. Trying reducing the temperature you're baking at and bake for a bit longer. Experiment until you find the sweet spot, and take notes along the way.
If your bread has a sour, yeasty flavour and smells of alcohol then you have either used too much yeast.or you may have use stale yeast or creamed fresh yeast with sugar.
I've made beer bread with everything from craft beers (Allagash White, Moosehead, etc.), to commercial beers like Heineken, Miller Highlife, and Samuel Adams Boston Lager (which we found lends more of a pronounced aroma than others on the list, and didn't make our favorite loaf).
Just Right. While there isn't one universal temperature that suits all beers, there are a few basic rules you can follow to maximize the flavor of your brews without sacrificing their thirst-quenching qualities. For example, all beers should be served between 38-55° F.
The 24-day mark has always worked well for us. We have gone over in some cases but mostly by a few days. If I had to put a date on it, I would say you want to bottle your beer around 28 days, or if you cannot bottle it then you would want to rack it into a secondary fermenter to get it off the yeast.
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Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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