This beer bread recipe is sooo easy and so delicious, and only requires a few pantry staples. Since we’re all in lockdown here in NZ, I’ve coined the term ‘Lockdown Loaf’ – and it really is perfect in that sense. Stir the beer bread it up in one bowl – no kneading, no proving, no yeast needed. And if you need a gluten-free bread option, I’ve included that below the recipe.
Tips
- This bread isn’t light and fluffy like a bakery loaf – it’s dense and dare I say, ‘moist’. And that’s how it’s meant to be.
- For a reason I cannot understand, some people using Corona beer have produced a doughy, undercooked loaf. Go figure? In any case, don’t get too fancy here. Use the crappiest beer you have on hand – that awkward, long-forgotten bottle lurking forlornly the back of the fridge, probably leftover from some BYO you had 18 months ago, the one that could be expired and certainly no one will touch, not even your teenage son’s half-cut mates. That’s the beer you want.
- Check the expiry date on your baking powder.
- This beer bread bread is safe for kids and pregnant women, as the alcohol evaporates in the oven.
- If you can’t find beer, cider or plain soda water works – or a dry, not-too-sweet ginger beer or kombucha (omit the sugar if using these as they are already sweet). Lemonade would be too sweet.
- People have had success with using half wholemeal flour in their beer bread, too.
- Once it’s cooled down, it’s amazing toasted – we have it with peanut butter, Marmite or vegemite, avocado and tomato, hummus and basil – the list goes on! It’s highly addictive, I’ll warn you now.
- Get an oven thermometer and check your oven isn’t running cool if your loaf is undercooked.
- Don’t forget to share your creations with me on Facebook and Instagram, it brings me so much joy to see my recipes popping up in kitchens all over the place.
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Ingredients
Bread
3 cups plain flour (or use self-raising and omit the baking powder)
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
375ml beer (or make up the extra with water)
Toppings
Finely chopped onion or red onion
Grated cheese or dairy-free cheese
Sprinkle of paprika and/or oregano
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Some other ideas (not all together, though!): olives, capers, Parmesan , chopped sun-dried tomatoes, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seed
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c regular bake and line a small/medium loaf tin with baking paper.
Add the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
Pour in the beer/water and stir again to combine into a sticky dough. Scrape in to the prepared tin with a spatula and smooth out.
Sprinkle with the toppings you like and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes – it will have risen and puffed up and be all golden and delicious looking.
Serve hot or warm with any toppings you like – it’s awesome plain with butter, and I like Vegemite and Marmite too!
Once it’s cooled down it’s amaaazing toasted.
Keep at room temperature in a bag or container. It’s not gonna last long, though, I warn you now!
For gluten-free beer bread
Naturally, you’ll need to use a gluten-free flour mix without raising agent added.
For best results, I like to also add either 2 tbsp of either psyllium husk powder, or ground chia seeds. Adding one of these helps give the loaf that chewier, springier, bread-like texture that’s normally missing with gluten-free bread (which can be quite chalky.) This isn’t essential, though.
But if you are using one of these, you’ll need to add an extra 3 tbsp of water.
Then after mixing the dough, it’s helpful to let it rest for 10 minutes in the tin before it goes into to oven, to let the chia or husks swell up do their thing.
You’ll also need to use a GF beer. If you can’t find one, soda water works – or a dry, not-too-sweet ginger beer or kombucha (omit the sugar if using these as they are already sweet). Lemonade would be too sweet.
You can get psyllium husk powder at the supermarket – well, usually anyway! It’s very high in fibre so drink an extra glass of water when you enjoy a slice of the bread to be kind to your tummy.
If you have whole chia seeds at home, you can grind them in a mortar and pestle, coffee grinder, high speed blender or bullet to make a powder.
For a sweet loaf
You can use lemonade for a sweet loaf – it’s lovely smeared with butter or dairy-free spread or unflavoured coconut oil – topped with jam or honey!
I added cooked red onion and finely diced tomatoes in the mix. The result was a savoury taste.
Its all gone now !
This is just so good! Do you think gingerbeer would work instead of beer?
Omg, my son loved it so much ….only 1 thing wrong, it didn’t last long! So quick and easy, love the feedback, gives us great ideas to play around with flavors. Used the soda stream but son keen to make tmorra and use beer! It Also gives him something to do! Kia ora
Hi Chelsea, would zero alcohol beer work?
yes!
Thanks Chelsea. Is this good bread for french toast please?
Used this recipe to make four big burger buns, using Pure Blond + 20ml water. Worked very well, they rose nicely with some big air bubbles. Thanks Chelsea.
Hi, would this work with high grade flour? Only thing they had at the supermarket :(
Hi Chelsea, I am so keen to try this but could only buy High Grade flour. Can I use this instead? Thanks!
Awesome loaf! Used Heineken and works perfectly!
Thanks so much for the recipe. We made it today its so good. We added some onion and some cheese and some cumin seeds.
Hi, what herbs and spices would you recommend putting in the mixture? Also can this be made with any other flour like coconut or buckwheat as I don’t consume white flour? Thanks, looking forward to making it. ????????
Thank you for this recipe Chelsea! Looks great and soooooo easy. Going to make it today! Many thanks!
Made it because i didn’t believe the comments. The comments are not lying. Its all true. Its SO good i can’t wrap my head around it. And it didn’t survive the evening. Told everyone i know. Friggin foodgasm.
This recipe is amazingly versatile and so easy! I’ve run out of white flour so made this with 2 cups wholemeal and 1 cup rye. I only had bottled cider which was a bit short on volume so i made up the balance with water. Delicious.
Hi Chelsea, I made this with GF flour and baking soda and it worked perfectly. However, I noticed on your recipe that you said to use a GF flour mix without raising agents. Just curious about the reason for this. Thanks.
The recipe has a measured amount of raising agent to add to the dough, so it is best to use a mix that doesn’t already have a raising agent in it x
WOW, I made 3 loaves. 1 X as per recipe (Delicious). 1 X Cocoa, extra Brown sugar, Beer, Rum soaked Raisins and Choc Chips (Amazing) and 1 X Apple Cider, Sultanas, Apple, cinnamon, Nutmeg, cloves (Brilliant). This is a fantastic recipe Chelsea, I love it.
I don’t have a loaf pan, could this be braided?
I have a bottle of honey mead lurking from a couple of Christmas’s ago…thoughts on using that instead of beer?
Thank you for a great recipe. I made a yummy loaf today using soda water. I used some of previous suggestions to add some extra flavours in body and on top. I will try brown sugar rather than white next time to make up for loss of beer flavour.
A recipe for baking powder:
1/2 tspn cream of tartar to 1/4 tsp baking soda – which is the equivalent of 1 tsp baking powder. I found this by ‘googling’ :)
I made this with sundried tomatoes and feta on top and it was so delicious. Thank you! This time I’m thinking of folding them into the mixture and baking it all together, will this be ok?
Great looking loaf but unfortunately I went for a walk after making this, I left it in the loaf tin came back took it out and it had moisture quite watery in the bottom so now my loaf is a bit soggy. Thinking I shouldn’t leave it in the pan to cool down.
Can you put ham on top
Hi Chelsea,
Any chance I can adapt this recipe to an easy Easter loaf, since it’s hard to get hot x buns at the super and takes an age to make the buns at home. If I pop in soda water and 2Tbs of mixed spice, maybe some more sugar do you think that would work for breakfast toast?
Kind regards
Hi Chelsea made that loaf it was a great success Thankyou was wondering if this recipe could be adapted somehow for Easter buns ??
I’ve made this bread every other day since lockdown. I’ve made with whole grain flour, normal flour, spelt flour and GF flour. All were perfect. Tried all your suggestions and came out perfect. I’ve shared with all my mates and several have tried and loved. Thank you for a fabulous recipe x
Kia ora Chelsea,
How awesome of you to share this during lockdown ????
Your awesome ????
I’d like to do the lemonade with this recipe but if I were to bake as sweet with a dash of spice, what would you suggest please? Basic fruit?
Nga mihi ????????
thanks giving it a try now as Tyrena and i Have ran out of bread :)
Hi Chelsea. How crucial is sugar? It’s the one ingredient we don’t have. Would honey work instead? Thanks x
Hey would wholemeal flour work? This is the only flour we could get after 5 weeks of no flour anywhere
Yes!
By “soda water” can that just mean water that has been fizzed in a soda stream? Or does it have to be bought soda water?
That will work!
Hi Chelsea, I’ve only heard excellent reviews about this bread. I’m stuck though as I have no baking powder. Do have baking soda though. What do you think?
You culd try 1 1/2 tsp baking soda with 3 tsp vinegar, that may work x
Is the beer best cold or room temp?
Best to be room temp x
Oh my gosh the house smells amazing and it looks delicious. Perfect for out soup tonight yum
Just made this fantastic loaf! Turned out brilliantly despite the fact I used Corona! (It was the only beer we had so still thought I’d give it a go). Smells absolutely divine and I topped it with Parmesan cheese and marjoram. Great stuff and thank you Chelsea ????
Trolling through the ever increasing bad news this morning on Stuff I came across this. Well, as a 60 year old bloke who as not baked anything such as this before and being in lockdown I thought ” I’ll give it a go” and YUM !!. I used Bunderburg brewed lemon lime and bitters and left the toppings off for my first try. The woman of the house are happy and I’m just about to send it out to male work mates as a challenge to give there partners a break and enjoy what I just ate. Thanks Chelsea.
love this!!
Wow thank you Chelsea! On our second loaf this week… first one with MOA beer and was very Hoppy but still incredible w butter. Second loaf making now and used soda water and plain loaf it will be for sandwiches this arvo. Can’t wait!!!! (Also thank god for our soda stream! Helps heaps during the lockdown) xo
Got my lockdown loaf in oven at the moment. I used db33 beer . Used edam cheese on top. Is smelling delicious. Thank you chelsea
Don’t have baking powder..lock down woes! Does baking soda work? I’ve heard you just use a 1/3 of what you would use in baking powder…eg 3tsp of baking power = 1 tsp baking soda. Is that right?
Yes but you need something for the BS to react with – like 2-3 tsp vinegar. I’d use 1 1/2 tsp baking soda.
Hi Chelsea, this is an amazing bread, made it yesterday and had some fresh. Toasted for breakfast this morning with jam, delightful. Thank you so much for sharing your talent.
Regards Ray and Suzie
Love how easy and tasty this bread is. Made it to the recipe and it came out great, made it with 1-1 gf flour and it didn’t rise! Don’t know why?
Amazing, I have done this twice now with the help of my 5 and 6 year old sons, first attempt was good but I found it lacking something (I am a chef by trade, so hate baking naturally, too many instructions lol) Second attempt…. Absolutely amazing! ,We added left over bacon finely chopped and a small piece of parmesan cheese grated into the dough then topped with mixed herbs, colby cheese and some slices of tomato splash of extra virgin olive oil. BOOM ???? top notch toasted with butter great side dish with any soup ????????????
Head this bread for tea with tomato soup. SOOOO easy and SOOOO yummy! Thanks Chelsea!
Has anyone tried using Guinniss Beer?
gunnis
I made this for my kids for lunch today because we’d run out of normal bread… it was sooo easy and delicious that we ate the whole loaf in one sitting! They loved it with peanut butter and jam on it, I was happy with melted butter while the bread was still warm. So good!
Miss6 made this for our breakfast today! So yummy still warm with butter and avo! Maths and food tech lessons done!
Hi there Chelsea.
Today I made this bread, our 15th day lockdown. As i do not have any kind of soda at home except coke I decided to try. I omitted the sugar and instead add 2 teaspoon cinnamon powder. The bread with the cinnamon aroma is wonderful and the bread itself par excellence.
Thank you Chelsea.
Regards,
Eileen Solomon
Malaysia
Just made this!!! Still can’t believe how simple that was! The only thing is… my loaf smells like beer, is that normal? I thought it was supposed to evaporate in the oven?
A quick and easy recipe and such a big hit with the family. Thank you Chelsea
Hi Chelsea, I have a loaf of this recipe in the oven at the moment… Great smells filling the house but the loaf hasn’t risen or puffed up at all. I only had wholemeal flour so had to use that. Is it too heavy, is that why it hasn’t risen. Thanks
Hi Chelsea
could you add dried fruit or sultanas to the sweet/lemonade version or sweet spices to the dry mix?
Made for lunch today with cheese & smoky paprika topping & it was warm & yummy