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    🏠Home » Recipes » Bread Recipes

    Quick and Easy Beer Bread with 4 Ingredients

    Feb 1, 2020 · Modified: Jan 27, 2023 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 5 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.67 from 6 votes

    This easy beer bread recipe is made with only four ingredients. Soft, buttery, and slightly sweet inside, with a crispy, buttery top, it is perfect for chili, stews, or soups. But also great at those game day parties. Anybody can make this easy recipe.

    cut beer bread on a wooden board
    Jump To:
    • 👍Why you should make this recipe.
    • 🍺Ingredients
    • 👨‍🍳How to make Beer Bread
    • ❓FAQs
    • Storage
    • 📖Quick Bread Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    I call this a "guy" recipe; it is super easy to make, tastes great, and has beer. It is a “quick bread,” meaning it relies on the chemical leveling agents, baking powder here, in the self-rising flour and not yeast.

    👍Why you should make this recipe.

    • Soft, buttery, and slightly sweet on the inside with a crispy, buttery top, even the "non-beer" person will love this beer bread.
    • It has a hint of beer that you would overlook if you didn't know about it.
    • Substitute seltzer water or soda if you want.
    • 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.

    For an inspirational recipe, I used King Authur's Classic Beer Bread, although I read 20-plus recipes. I did love reading all the very interesting comments.

    🍺Ingredients

    • Self-rising flour— substitute AP flour, baking powder, and salt. Amounts in recipe notes.
    • Sugar—honey is a common variation.
    • Butter—divided
    • Beer—any beer you like. Substitute plain seltzer water or a soda.
    • Optional additions—cheddar cheese, chopped jalapenos, garlic

    👨‍🍳How to make Beer Bread

    1. Preheat oven to 375°.
    2. Prep a loaf pan with a coat of PAM cooking spray.
    3. Combine self-rising flour with sugar.
    4. Add 12 oz of beer and 3 melted butter. Stir until the foam subsides and all of the dry flour is incorporated. Do not over-mix.
    5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and brush the top with more butter.
    6. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean—about 50 minutes.
    7. Turn onto a rack to cool for about 15 minutes before cutting.

    ❓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 even cookies.

    What is the best beer to use for beer bread?

    Easy answer, whatever type of beer you like. One of the bread tastes will be the beer you add, along with the 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.

    What is self-rising flour?

    This is a bit old fashion, but it is a shortcut your grandmother would use for biscuits or other quick bread recipes.

    It is a standardized mixture ratio of 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. So if you were making biscuits, you would cut in your butter and add some milk, and you are ready for the oven.

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

    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 though out 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.

    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.

    📖Quick Bread Recipes

    Low-Fat Biscuits

    Cornbread Drop Biscuits

    Betty Crockers Corn Bread

    Cheddar Bay Biscuits a la Red Lobster

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

    Bread Recipes
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    🖼️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 mizture

    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

    Quick and Easy Beer Bread with 4 Ingredients

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    This easy beer bread recipe is made with only four ingredients. Soft, buttery, and slightly sweet on the inside, with a crispy buttery top, it is perfect for chili, stews, or soups. But also great at those game day parties. Anybody can make this easy recipe.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.67 from 6 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes
    Total Time: 1 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
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    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
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    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

    Nutrition Facts
    Quick and Easy Beer Bread with 4 Ingredients
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 263 Calories from Fat 36
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 4g6%
    Saturated Fat 2g10%
    Cholesterol 11mg4%
    Sodium 737mg31%
    Potassium 18mg1%
    Carbohydrates 47g16%
    Sugar 3g3%
    Protein 6g12%
    Vitamin A 150IU3%
    Calcium 150mg15%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    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.

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    More Bread Recipes

    • Cinnamon Biscuits with Vanilla Frosting
    • Old Fashioned Cornbread
    • Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Red Lobster Copycat)
    • Quick and Easy Honey Wheat Rolls

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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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