This is a collaborative post: Making bread is one of the top trends for home cooks nowadays! And, everyone wants to make something that is delicious yet unique.
If you are running out of ideas to bake a new type of bread that will taste different but delicious, Beer Bread will save your day.
All you need is six simple ingredients that are always found in the kitchen and 5-10 minutes of your time before you pop it in the oven for an hour. So, let’s get right into it!
What is Beer Bread:
It is a quick bread recipe that needs an entire bottle of beer. Beer with baking powder acts as the leavening agent in place of yeast. It won’t taste like drinking a bottle of beer, infact, it will give the bread a terrific flavor.
People use beer bread as the side for soups and more. But, you can also have it with some butter, topped with honey or jam. The kids can also enjoy this delicious bread as the alcohol from the beer evaporates in the baking process.
Ingredients You Would Need to Make Beer Bread:
You will need some common ingredients in this simple beer bread recipe, and those items are always found in the kitchen. The best part is, you do not need any yeast to make Beer Bread. So, here are the six ingredients you will need to make delicious beer bread:
- Beer- 1 bottle (12 ounces)
- All-purpose flour- 3 cups
- White Sugar- 1/2 cup
- Baking powder- 1 tablespoon
- Salt- 1 teaspoon
- Melted Salted Butter- 2 table
5 Simple Steps to Get your Beer Bread Ready:
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Then, grease a standard 9-inch X 5-inch loaf pan. If you want to have a hassle-free way to take out the bread, line the loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk the Ingredients: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Then, in the center of the mixture, form a well and pour in the beer. You’ll have to combine them together until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the Butter: Pour half of the melted butter into the bottom of the loaf pan. And pour the rest of the salted butter on the batter. Adding the butter to the batter will leave the beer bread soft. As you are not using any yeast, make sure that you are topping the batter with butter. Besides, the butter will help make the crust soft.
- Bake the Bread: You need to bake the beer bread until it turns golden brown. Usually, it takes 50 to 60 minutes. As it turns golden brown, stick a toothpick into the center of the bread and check to see if it comes out clean. If so, then, take the bread out of the oven. This will prevent the beer bread from getting overburnt.
- Slice and Serve: Soon after you take the beer bread out of the oven, slice the bread, and serve with a dab of butter. You can also add honey or jam on top of the butter. But the best way to complement this delicious beer bread is to have it with chilled soup or any soup made of vegetables or beans. You can also enjoy your beer bread with stew or pot roast.
Tips and Tricks: You can make good beer bread by following the above-mentioned steps. But, the following tricks will help to make your beer bread even more delicious.
A. Choosing the Beer: The beer you choose will set your beer bread apart from the others. It will determine the final flavor. So, it is best to use the beer that you enjoy.
It is always safe to go for something low in bitterness, like a cream ale or a blonde. It will help to make the texture and flavor of the beer bread similar to white bread.
But if you choose something like a stout, it will make the beer bread look more like old-fashioned Russian black bread. So, choose the beer based on the color or texture that you want.
B. How to Make the Best Batter: If you want to make the best batter for your beer bread, do not go crazy over mixing the dough. It is not the regular bread where you use yeast. So, too much steering will make your batter very dense, and leave the bread dry and crunchy.
C. How to make your Beer Bread Light: If you use one of the most conventional beers, this recipe will get you a pretty dense and satisfying bread. However, you can alter your beer bread to be more airy light by using a beer that says “Real Ale” or “Bottle Conditioned” on the label.
If you find any of these written on the beer label, the beer will contain dormant yeast that will reactivate once the beer is mixed with flour and sugar in the bread mixture. It will create a lot more Carbon Dioxide that will lift your beer bread to make it airy.
D. How to Store the Beer Bread: You can store your beer bread at room temperature for 2-3 days. But keep it in an air-tight container so that it stays moist.
If you do not want your delicious beer bread to go stale quickly, then do not keep it in the refrigerator.
E. Freezing your Beer Bread: Many people make beer bread once in a while, and use it as holiday gifts.
If you are thinking the same, you can wrap up your beer bread in aluminum foil and freeze it for six months.
You need to bring the bread to room temperature before slicing it. And, also need to reheat each slice for 20 seconds in the microwave oven.