A bite of freshly baked bread, slathered with butter, and sprinkled with a little sea salt has to be one of life’s great pleasures.   Yet when it comes time to bake bread at home, most of us cry “uncle.”  The time required for rising, the messy kneading, and, for better or worse, the reputation that bread baking has for being tricky causes us to pass when it comes to baking our own bread.  That is until now.

Beer bread is about as simple as it gets.   Baking powder takes the place of yeast for leavening thus eliminating the need for long rise times.  This recipe for bread also requires no kneading.  After mixing the ingredients in a large bowl, one need only scrape the dough into a greased loaf pan before it goes straight into the preheated oven.  Not one hour later, you pull out a gorgeous loaf with a dense and moist crumb.  This, my friends, is bread baking that everyone can get behind.

Below you’ll find two recipes for beer bread. The first is a basic version that has just five ingredients and has no embellishments.  The second recipe is for a Cheddar Cheese and Thyme loaf.  Here I reduce the sugar in the recipe and add lots of cheese and fresh herbs for a bread that is a great accompaniment to your favorite winter soups.  Both loaves keep well and make delicious toast for breakfast the next day (provided you have leftovers).

I used Shiner Bock beer for both loaves as that is what I had in the fridge, but feel free to substitute your favorite beer and let me know the results.  If you get creative and come up with your own take on beer bread please share that as well.   I love hearing your ideas.  Happy baking!

Classic Beer Bread – Printer Friendly Recipe
Makes one 9- x 5-inch loaf of bread

3 cups all purpose flour (be careful not to pack the flour)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1-tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
12 ounces Shiner Bock beer or your favorite beer
4 tablespoons melted butter, divided

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a rack in the middle of the oven.  Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt.  Pour the beer into the bowl with half of the melted butter and combine the ingredients with a rubber spatula.

Scrape the dough into the greased loaf pan.  Drizzle the remaining butter over the top.  Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer stuck in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.  Remove the loaf from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack.  Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. 

Cheddar Cheese and Thyme Beer Bread – Printer Friendly Recipe
Makes one 9- x 5-inch loaf of bread

3 cups all purpose flour (be careful not to pack the flour)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1-tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 ounces grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
12 ounces Shiner Bock beer or your favorite beer
4 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a rack in the middle of the oven.  Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add the cheese and thyme and whisk to combine.  Pour the beer and melted butter into the bowl and combine the ingredients with a rubber spatula.

Scrape the dough into the greased loaf pan.  Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer stuck in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.  Remove the loaf from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack.  Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.