I love bread, and I love beer, so when my college roommate introduced me to beer bread several years ago, it was a match made in heaven. She baked me a perfect loaf from a grocery-store-brand box mix that I could sadly never locate again. But imagine my surprise when I found out years later that Beer Bread requires just 6 basic ingredients! I haven’t bought a boxed mix since, but I have experimented with adding new flavors to my basic recipe. Below are two variants of Beer Bread – the original (my favorite) recipe, and a version with cheddar cheese and green chilies added (a crowd favorite at work). It’s simple to make both recipes at one time, as long as you have two loaf pans!
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 12 ounces beer at room temperature (I prefer to use Yuengling Traditional Lager)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a 9”x5” loaf pan, or 3 mini-loaf pans, with flour-based cooking spray, then line with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
- Pour the beer over the mix, and use a spatula to gently fold into the dry ingredients. Do not over-mix.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan(s).
- Melt the butter in the microwave and pour over top of the batter.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool in pan for 15-20 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely before serving.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 12 ounces beer at room temperature (I prefer to use Yuengling Traditional Lager)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies, drained
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a 9”x5” loaf pan, or 3 mini-loaf pans, with flour-based cooking spray, then line with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
- Pour the beer over the mix, and use a spatula to gently fold into the dry ingredients. Do not over-mix.
- Add the green chilies and cheddar cheese and mix until just combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan(s).
- Melt the butter in the microwave and pour over top of the batter.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool in pan for 15-20 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely before serving.
You’ve heard of farm-to-table, but what about brewery-to-table? It just so happens that I visited the Yuengling brewery in Pennsylvania twice in 2019. I have always preferred Yuengling lager for this recipe, and it just so happened that Todd took some good shots of the building while we were there, which fits into this post so well! Funnily enough, we didn’t go inside either time. Unfortunately, the brewery is closed on Sundays and that happened to be the day we passed through both times. I hope to go back this year and actually make it into the building!
Have you been to America’s Oldest Brewery?
First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (if you’re making two loaves, use two separate bowls as it’s easier than trying to divide halfway through the recipe).
Simple ingredients list, fabulous finished product!
Slowly add the beer to the bowl, then stir gently to combine. Do not over mix – the mixture will look lumpy, and that’s okay!
Todd took this action shot of me pouring the beer!
For the cheddar and green chili recipe, add those ingredients in and stir to combine.
Cheddar and green chili batter versus basic beer bread batter
Pour the batter into prepared loaf pans. Melt butter in the microwave, then pour over top of the batter in the loaf pans.
Ready for the oven!
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Golden crust and enticing aroma, check!
Allow to cool completely before enjoying with a cold glass of beer (not required, but highly recommended!)
Mini Green Chili beer breads were a hit at the office
Basic Beer Bread Recipe Credit: Rosemary from An Italian in my Kitchen
Cheddar Green Chili Beer Bread Recipe Credit: Marsha on Food.com
