Herbed Beer Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What beer makes the best beer bread? ›

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.

When you add beer to your bread mix, the beer's yeast content reacts with the baking powder and starches in the flour, causing the dough to rise and start to leaven. When you add the beer, you might notice the dough bubble and foam—that's the yeast working its magic!

If you bake an overworked dough, it will come out hard. Even though you aren't kneading beer bread, the same principle applies. It can be harder to tell when the dough is overworked, though, since you won't feel it in your hands and the mixture isn't supposed to be smooth. Instead, rely on your eyes.

Some popular types of beer to use for beer bread include lagers, pilsners, wheat beers, and even stouts or porters. We typically use a light beer including Ultra, or a Bud Light.

Your beer isn't cold yet! Well, don't worry, because when making our beer bread, you can use warm OR cold beer! When pouring the beer into the bowl with the mix, we recommend pouring slowly, so it doesn't over-bubble. The same goes for any carbonated beverage you use to make our Beer Bread Mix; cold or hot will work!

Topping bread dough with seeds and grains is a simple and effective way to increase the nutrition, flavor, and texture in a baked loaf of bread.

You might be wondering if you should use dry or fresh herbs in this recipe or others. Fresh or dry herbs work equally well in bread recipes. Ensure you increase the amount of fresh herbs used (see instructions below).

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), baked or simmered dishes that contain alcohol will retain 40% of the original amount after 15 minutes of cooking, 35% after 30 minutes and 25% after an hour. But there's no point at which all of the alcohol disappears.

Can I use water instead of beer in beer bread? ›

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.

A hoppy beer will result in an extremely bitter loaf of bread. That said, you do want the flavor of the beer to come through, so choosing something too light won't add much flavor either.

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!

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).

No matter what kind of beer you use (a lager for a lighter loaf, an IPA for a hearty, hoppy taste, or a stout for a rich result with a slightly darker finished product), you'll end up with malty, buttery bread with a golden crust and tender crumb.

If you're new to baking with beer, porters and stouts are the best place to begin.

Pro tip: As a good rule of thumb, keep in mind that whatever type of beer you use, the flavor will come through in your fresh-baked bread. Darker beer, like stouts and porters, will produce bread with more robust, pronounced flavors. Likewise, a blonde ale or pilsner will make a milder, lighter loaf.

One of my favorite beers to use is Yuengling Lager. It's a medium-bodied lager with notes of caramel malt and a sweetness that makes it perfect for beer bread.