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    🏠Home » Recipes » Bread Recipes

    Beer Bread Recipe with 4 Ingredients

    Feb 1, 2020 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · Last modified: Oct 30, 2023 · 5 Comments

    Jump to Recipe - TOC - Print

    This fast and easy Beer Bread Recipe has only four ingredients—butter, self-rising flour, sugar, and your favorite beer. Soft, buttery, and slightly sweet inside, with a crispy, buttery top, it is perfect for chili, stews, or soups.

    A perfect "guy" recipe that goes with most "guy" foods.

    🍺Ingredients

    Self-rising flour— substitute AP flour, baking powder, and salt
    Sugar or honey
    Butter
    Beer— OR plain seltzer water or a soda.
    Optional additions—cheddar cheese, chopped jalapenos, garlic

    cut beer bread on a wooden board.
    Jump To:
    • 🍺Ingredients
    • 👨‍🍳How to make Beer Bread
    • Options
    • What is the best beer to use for beer bread?
    • Serving
    • Storage
    • Making self-rising flour
    • ❓FAQs
    • Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖 Recipe
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Featured Comment from Sarah:
    "My husband and I devoured the better part of the loaf, so I'm currently baking another fresh loaf to go with the leftover soup tonight!"

    Soft, buttery, and slightly sweet inside with a crispy, buttery top, even the "non-beer" person will love this beer bread. It's super easy to make, even for the non-cook. You can do this.

    Slathered with butter, it is an excellent compliment to chili, stews, or soups. Makes great toast and sandwiches.

    Check out some quick bread recipes: Old Fashioned Banana Nut Bread, Betty Crockers Corn Bread, Easy Pumpkin Bread, and Easy Apple Bread.

    👨‍🍳How to make Beer Bread

    1. Combine self-rising flour with sugar.
    2. Add beer and melted butter. Stir until the foam subsides and all of the dry flour is incorporated. Do not over-mix.
    3. Pour the batter into a prepared pan and brush the top with more butter.
    4. Bake in a preheated oven until a toothpick comes out clean—about 50 minutes.

    This is a summary of the steps and ingredients. See the recipe card or the step-by-step photo instructions below for complete instructions.

    Options

    • Use seltzer water or soda instead of bear.
    • Use 2 tablespoons of honey for the 3 tablespoons of sugar.
    • Add optional ingredients like chopped jalapenos, bacon, or garlic.
    • Add a cup of shredded cheddar cheese to make cheddar bread.

    What is the best beer to use for beer bread?

    The easy answer is whatever type of beer you like. Some of the bread tastes will be the beer you add, butter, and a yeasty malt flavor. So use what you want. Something with less intense flavors is probably preferred.

    Most people don't think they can tell a taste difference between using darker beers vs. lighter beers or expensive vs. cheap beers. But some feel that more flavor will come through with a robust dark beer.

    Serving

    This bread goes great with Beef Stew, Crock Pot Chicken Stew, and Stew Meat Chili. It is perfect to serve at tailgating and game-day parties.

    Storage

    Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days—no need for a refrigerator.

    It can also be frozen for 4 months.

    Making self-rising flour

    Self-rising flour is a bit old-fashioned, but it is a shortcut your grandmother would use for biscuits or other quick bread recipes.

    It is a standardized mixture, so if you were making biscuits, you would cut in your butter, add some milk, and be ready for the oven.

    • 1 cup of all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt

    Bisquick is self-rising flour with some hydrogenated vegetable shortening added, so you won’t need to add the butter.

    ❓FAQs

    What is a quick bread?

    Quick bread is a bread product that uses leavening agents other than yeast or eggs, usually baking soda or baking powder. The texture of quick bread is very different than yeast-leavened bread.

    Quick bread has more of a muffin-like texture than yeast bread's gluten texture. Typical quick bread includes banana, soda, beer bread, biscuits, cornbread, muffins, pancakes, scones, and cookies.

    What does sifting flour do?

    When we sift flour, it breaks down any clumps and provides a fluffier result. It also helps mix other ingredients throughout the flour. It will improve the texture a bit. If you don't have an old-school flour sifter, you can get about the same effect using a large fine-mesh strainer.

    Do you have to sift if a recipe suggests it? No, but the results will be denser, but not a lot.

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    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Bread Recipes

    Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.

    Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    beer with self-riesing flour.

    Preheat oven to 375° conventional.

    coating loaf pan with PAM.

    Start by prepping a 9 by 4 inch loaf pan with a good spray of PAM or a light coat of butter. Your loaf pan size may vary, but it will be fine.

    adding flour to sifter.

    Combine 3 cups of self-rising flour with 3 tablespoons of sugar. Optional: run the flour/sugar mixture through a sifter. If you do not have self-rising flour, mix 3 cups of AP flour with 4 ½ teaspoons of baking powder and ¾ teaspoons of salt.

    pouring beer into flour mixture.

    Add 12 oz of beer. Add 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Stir until the foam subsides and all of the dry flour is incorporated. Do not over-mix.

    pouring batter into greased pan.

    Add to prepared pan and level in the pan.

    brushing top of loaf with melted butter.

    Brush top with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

    toothpick coming out clean from baked beer bread.

    Bake until a toothpick comes out clean—about 50 minutes.

    beer bread on a cooking rack.

    Turn onto a rack to cool for about 15 minutes before cutting. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.

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    📖 Recipe

    cut beer bread on a wooden board

    Beer Bread Recipe with 4 Ingredients

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    This fast and easy Beer Bread Recipe has only four ingredients—butter, self-rising flour, sugar, and your favorite beer. Soft, buttery, and slightly sweet inside, with a crispy, buttery top, it is perfect for chili, stews, or soups.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.67 from 6 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 12

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 3 cups self-rising flour - Substitute is listed in the instructions
    • 3 tablespoons sugar
    • 4 tablespoons butter - divided
    • 12 oz beer

    Optional

    • 1 cup cheddar or other cheese
    • Chopped jalapenos
    • garlic powder
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375° conventional.
      beer with self-riesing flour
    • Start by prepping a 9 by 4 inch loaf pan with a good spray of PAM or a light coat of butter. Your loaf pan size may vary but will be fine.
      coating loaf pan with PAM
    • Combine 3 cups of self-rising flour with 3 tablespoons of sugar. Optional: run the flour/sugar mixture through a sifter. If you do not have self-rising flour, mix 3 cups of AP flour with 4 ½ teaspoons of baking powder and ¾ teaspoons of salt.
      adding flour to sifter
    • Add 12 oz of beer. Add 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Stir until the foam subsides and all of the dry flour is incorporated. Do not over-mix.
      pouring beer into flour mizture
    • Add the batter to the prepared pan and level in the pan.
      pouring batter into greased pan
    • Add to prepared pan and level in the pan.
      brushing top of loaf with melted butter
    • Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. About 50 minutes.
      toothpick coming out clean from baked beer bread
    • Turn onto a rack to cool for about 15 minutes before cutting. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
      beer bread on a cooking rack
    Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print. Otherwise step-by-step photos are in the post.

    Your Own Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
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    Recipe Notes

    Recipe Tips:

    1. Use the beer of your choice. You can substitute 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) plain seltzer water or a soda.
    2. To make one cup of self-rising flour mix 1 cup of all-purpure flour with 1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of salt.
    3. I suggest sifting the flour to make the bread less dense. You skip it if you want.
    4. This bread is easy to add things. A cup of cheese, some chopped-up pickled jalapenos, or some garlic powder. Have some fun with it. Google will give you endless suggestions.
    5. Good sealed tightly for about 3-4 days or frozen for 4 months.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories : 263 kcal (13%)Carbohydrates : 47 g (16%)Protein : 6 g (12%)Fat : 4 g (6%)Saturated Fat : 2 g (10%)Cholesterol : 11 mg (4%)Sodium : 737 mg (31%)Potassium : 18 mg (1%)Sugar : 3 g (3%)Vitamin A : 150 IU (3%)Calcium : 150 mg (15%)Iron : 2 mg (11%)
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Bread
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Originally Published March 11, 2018. Updated with more explanation, refreshed photos, and table of contents.

    Dogs with purple puppy toy.

    Based on King Authur's Classic Beer Bread.

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    About Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

    Hi, welcome to 101 Cooking for Two. I'm DrDan, I'm a board certified physician and a lover of cooking delicious easy recipes I have perfected at home for two or larger household. As an award winning educator, let me guide you to finding the joys of cooking everyday food at home.
    Read more About DrDan | Subscribe to the Newsletters

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    1. Laurajay

      February 02, 2020 at 12:20 pm

      Dr Dan looks yummy, I cannot wait to try. thanks for your bog and all your recipes.

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        February 02, 2020 at 1:34 pm

        Thanks for the note.

        It goes great with chili.

        Dan

      • Sarah

        April 13, 2020 at 6:27 pm

        5 stars
        I made this yesterday to go with the soup I made for Easter dinner. I bake a lot of yeast breads but with this pandemic I'm trying to ration my yeast as I only have about 1/2 pound left. I haven't made beer bread for many years and 15 years ago when I made it I just used a box mix. Like most things, it is so very much better homemade! I read a lot of recipes on line in order to pick the one I wanted to make and wound up picking yours. No regrets there as it was fabulous! I really appreciated all the details and tips you added including your recipe for self rising flour which is not something I typically keep on hand. My husband and I devoured the better part of the loaf so I'm currently baking another fresh loaf to go with the leftover soup tonight!

    2. Marg

      March 11, 2018 at 9:34 am

      It looks yummy and i am going to try it, but please edit your post. Autocorrect is not our friend....it is a flour *sifter*, not *shifter*! Was puzzled on why you were going to shift your flour and where you were planning to shift it to :)

      Reply
      • DrDan

        March 11, 2018 at 9:44 am

        Hi Marg,
        Thanks for the note and proofread. Yes, the Mac autocorrect drives me crazy at times. I think windows is at least better at that. The daylight savings change also may have contributed.
        Dan

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