Beer Bread Recipe (easy, no yeast!) (2024)

My easy beer bread recipe is almost too good to be true. You’ll need just five ingredients, one bowl, and a minute or two to make it! This no yeast beer bread is phenomenal.

Beer Bread Recipe (easy, no yeast!) (1)

easy no yeast beer bread is minimalist baking at its best!

Beer bread has been part of my recipe repertoire from as far back as I can remember. I’m sure I learned to make it in college. It’s got minimal ingredients and all you’ll need is a bowl, a spoon, and a loaf pan. The surprise is how lovely this loaf turns out. Fragrant, for sure, and soft and pillowy to the touch. The crust has the perfect not-too-crusty texture 🙂 It slices beautifully (nice and thick, of course) and has that wonderful yeasty flavor, even though this is a yeast free recipe.

At the 20 minute mark your kitchen will start to smell of beer and warm homemade bread, aka nirvana.

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ingredients for a quick beer bread recipe

Five simple ingredients that you most likely have on hand. This recipe makes a beautifully moist loaf without any butter or oil. Some recipes call for melted butter to be poured over the batter before baking, but that’s not necessary with this recipe. Save your butter for spreading on your warm slice!

  • ALL PURPOSE FLOUR ~ like most quick breads, this one uses plain all purpose flour. There’s no need for higher gluten bread flour in this recipe.
  • BEER ~ use your favorite beer, all varieties will work. The carbonation in the beer helps rise the bread.
  • BROWN SUGAR ~ provides a hint of sweetness, but not too much, this is definitely a savory bread.
  • BAKING POWDER ~ provides extra lift to ensure that your beer bread is not dense or heavy.
  • SALT
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how to make beer bread (it literally takes 60 seconds!)

I’m willing to bet this is unlike any bread you’ve made before, and the crazy thing is, it bakes up into a beautiful loaf with the perfect crumb! It’s really quite miraculous.

  1. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl.
  2. Pour in the beer and whisk until everything is incorporated, but be sure not to over mix, some lumps are fine. Over mixing results in tough bread.
  3. Turn into your loaf pan, spread the batter out evenly, and bake!
  4. Let the bread cool in the pan a few minutes and then turn out onto a rack. I love to slice mine while it is still warm!
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beer bread faqs

What’s the best beer for beer bread?

Really any type of beer can be used, so you can let flavor be your guide. A darker, more robust beer like a stout will give a stronger ‘beer’ flavor than a pale ale. (Make an Irish beer bread with Guiness!) But be aware that if your beer is too strong you can get a bitter flavor in your bread, so my suggestion is to use a mild ale. I used a local (New Glarus) pale ale and it worked wonderfully.

Can I use non-alcoholic beer or light beer for beer bread?

Yes, you can. The flavor won’t be as rich, but non-alcoholic beer can be used. Light beer will work fine as well.

Can you get drunk on beer bread?

No! Much of the alcohol will cook off during the baking process, but not all. You will not get drunk, but there will be alcohol in this finished bread, up to 30% of the alcohol will remain in a bread like this*, so it is not for children or anyone else who should avoid alcohol entirely. *according to the USDA

Does beer bread taste like beer?

I think it does, yes, but the flavor is subtle. It tastes like a yeasty white bread.

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Is there yeast in beer?

Beer is made with yeast, that’s what feeds the fermentation, but by the time you get yours in a can or bottle, the yeast has been filtered out. A faint flavor of the yeast remains, which I love.

Should the beer be warm or cold for beer bread?

I use room temperature beer for best rising!

Is beer bread savory or sweet?

This is a savory bread, meant to be served like you would cornbread or biscuits, alongside soups, stews chilis, and other meals. It does contain a bit of brown sugar, but not enough to make it a sweet bread.

Can you make beer bread without beer?

Yes, you can use just about any carbonated liquid to make a no-beer beer bread, but keep in mind that beer adds lots of flavor, and natural yeast to the batter, so it makes a wonderfully light, flavorful quick bread. If you use carbonated water you won’t get a delicious bread!

Can I make beer bread with self rising flour?

Yes, just omit the salt and the baking powder in this recipe. In this case you’ll have a 3-ingredient beer bread!

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How to store beer bread?

I would not slice the bread until you are ready to serve, to keep it moist. Cover with foil and it will keep at room temperature for 3 days.

Can you freeze beer bread?

Yes, let the loaf cool completely, and then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Then wrap again in foil. It will be best within 3 months. Simply defrost the wrapped loaf at room temperature.

Can I use beer bread for sandwiches?

Yes! Slice it thinly for sandwiches, and it also makes a fabulous grilled cheese.

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what we love to serve with beer bread

Soups are a no-brainer with beer bread. Just about any soup pairs well, but especially a German soup like German Potato Soup. I love to serve it with chowders, too, like my Corn and Cheddar Cheese Chowder or Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Chowder.

Chili and beer bread is a classic combo! Try it with Slow Cooked Hatch Pepper Chili or Creamy White (leftover) Turkey Chili.

Beer bread also pairs well with pot roasts and stews ~ try it with Sauerbraten or Hard Cider Braised Pot Roast with Fresh Sage.

Enjoy the bread all by itself. We love it warm from the oven, with butter. Or how about some cheesy beer bread toast? Just top with your favorite cheese and slide it under the broiler until hot and bubbly.

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optional additions and variations

  • shredded sharp cheese (we like cheddar)
  • chopped onions or green onions
  • sliced olives
  • minced jalapeños
  • 1/2 cup melted butter, poured over top before baking
  • chopped fresh herbs like chives, rosemary, thyme, or sage
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more no yeast quick breads

Paleo Fruit and Nut Bread

Hatch Chile Cornbread

Date Nut Bread

Easy One Bowl Pumpkin Bread

Irish Oatmeal Soda Bread

Beer Bread Recipe (easy, no yeast!) (10)

Easy Beer Bread

5 from 10 votes

No yeast beer bread is one of those easy bread recipes that's almost too good to be true. Five ingredients, in one bowl, it takes about a minute to make!

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Prep Time:10 minutes minutes

Cook Time:45 minutes minutes

Total Time:55 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 slices

Equipment

  • standard 9×5 loaf pan

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan lightly and line with a piece of parchment paper.

  • When the oven has come to temperature, measure the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk well to combine. Break up any lumps in your brown sugar.

  • Add the beer to the bowl and whisk or stir to combine. Mix just enough to combine everything and there is no dry flour left. Don't worry about lumps.

  • Turn the batter into your loaf pan and spread out the top so the batter is even from end to end.

  • Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter on it (moist crumbs are fine.)

  • Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool.

  • I like to slice the bread while it is still warm, but don't slice it until you are ready to eat.

NEW FEATURE! Click here to add your own private notes.

Course: bread

Cuisine: American

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: beer, bread, no yeast, quick bread

Nutrition

Calories: 144 kcal · Carbohydrates: 30 g · Protein: 3 g · Fat: 1 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Sodium: 198 mg · Potassium: 148 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 5 g · Calcium: 53 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

Did You Make This?We love seeing what you’ve made! Tag us on social media at @theviewfromgreatisland for a chance to be featured.

Beer Bread Recipe (easy, no yeast!) (11)
Beer Bread Recipe (easy, no yeast!) (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you don't put enough yeast in bread? ›

Just remember: the less yeast, the longer the rising time (and/or the warmer the rising temperature). Start by cutting the yeast in your recipe by 50 percent and if the results are reasonable, lower the amount even more next time.

Can I use beer instead of yeast to make bread? ›

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, sugar, and can of beer in a mixing bowl. The alcohol from the beer will evaporate during baking, so the bread will be edible for all ages. Watch it bubble as you mix it up and then place the large ball of dough in the center of a greased cookie sheet.

How can bread rise without using yeast? ›

Baking Soda and Lemon

If you are lacking yeast in your pantry or dry goods storage, try combining baking soda and lemon juice. The chemical reaction between these two ingredients will help your recipe rise.

What is the best beer to use for 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.

What happens if there is no yeast in bread? ›

If you don't use yeast or other leavening in your bread dough, the bread will be dense and will not rise. As others have said, there may well be a subtle taste difference since yeast forms carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. There are many breads that are unleavened and most are flatbreads.

How much yeast for 3 cups of flour? ›

If it is of any help, a typical bread recipe calling for 3 or 4 cups of flour usually recommends 7 grams of dry yeast. You can use less, of course, and the bread will be just fine; you will note that it takes the dough longer to rise when less yeast is used.

Why is my beer bread so dense? ›

There could be couple of reasons why your beer bread turned out tough. Too much flour can cause the bread to be too dense and hard. Another reason could be that you stirred the batter too much.

What happens if you don't add yeast to beer? ›

What happens when you forget to add yeast to homebrew ale or beer? If you have sanitized everything properly, and the container is properly sealed, nothing happens. The wort just sits there and does nothing. The sugars in the wort don't ferment and no alcohol is produced.

What is one beer equivalent to in bread? ›

Joey Wellness | One beer is equivalent to 2 slices of bread #beer #bread #health #awareness | Instagram.

How did the pioneers make bread without yeast? ›

With No Yeast : The Salt : NPR. Bake Bread Like A Pioneer In Appalachia ... With No Yeast : The Salt Bacteria can make a bread rise and give it a cheesy flavor. That's the secret ingredient in salt rising bread, which dates to the late 1700s in Appalachia, when bakers didn't have yeast on hand.

What is bread without yeast called? ›

Unleavened bread is any of a wide variety of breads which are prepared without using rising agents such as yeast or sodium bicarbonate. The preparation of bread-like non-leavened cooked grain foods appeared in prehistoric times.

How did people bake bread before yeast? ›

The most common source of leavening in antiquity was to retain a piece of dough (with sugar and water in) from the previous day to utilize as a form of sourdough starter. Pliny the Elder reported that the Gauls and Iberians used the foam skimmed from beer to produce "a lighter kind of bread than other peoples".

Is blue moon good for beer bread? ›

Mixes in one bowl and makes a lovely rustic and flavorful bread. So far I've only used lighter beer (Blue Moon Belgian White specifically) but am definitely going to be experimenting more with other types of beer (especially Guinness), as well as herb combinations.

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.

Can beer replace yeast in bread? ›

The key to this is, beer already has yeast in it. So when you mix beer with flour, sugar, and other ingredients of your choosing, that yeast goes right to work on the sugar and helps the bread rise.

How does the amount of yeast affect bread? ›

The amount of yeast you use in your bread dough has a significant bearing on how quickly it'll rise, and thus on your own schedule. By reducing the yeast, you ensure a long, slow rise, one more likely to produce a strong dough able to withstand the rigors of baking.

What happens if I don't pitch enough yeast? ›

And as we know, yeast is temperamental. It needs just the right conditions to do its work. If you under-pitch, meaning you don't add enough yeast to the cooled wort waiting inside your fermenter, the individual yeast cells may struggle to do more work than they can handle.

How do I know if I killed the yeast? ›

Testing your yeast

If the mixture rises to double or triple in size, then your yeast is active! Go ahead and bake with confidence! If your mixture does not rise much or stays at the same volume, then your yeast is no longer active. You'll have to throw it out, and get yourself a new batch.

What happens if you forget to add yeast to dough? ›

If you forgot to add yeast to your dough, you can just mix the yeast called for in the recipe with a few tablespoons of warm (but not hot) water. Let it sit for five to 10 minutes. Once the yeast has activated, fold it into your dough, and allow it to rise.

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