Beer bread is one of the easiest breads to bake and yet it doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Beer bread is a tasty add-on to any soups or even pairs with most dips. It’s a favorite with a chilli dinner.
The subtle flavor of the beer seeps into the bread, giving it a unique taste you won’t get from any other bread. Plus, the heat from baking the bread burns the actual alcohol out so you don’t need to worry if you need a kid friendly dinner.
Every type of beer you use leaves its’ own different taste, from wheat beers to light pilsners. We’re going to share with you our ultimate bread machine beer bread recipe with our Cheesy Garlic Beer Bread as well as the simplest beer bread recipe if you’re a bread baking newbie!
Before we hand out the recipe for our cheesy garlic beer bread, there are a few tips you should know before you start baking any beer bread.
These tips will help perfect your beer bread and make it the most delicious bread you’ve ever bitten into!
Before you pour the beer into the bread pan, make sure the beer is flat and warm. You want to avoid any carbonation. Yeast needs warmth to rise. 109*F (or 43*C) is the best temperature. Just make sure the beer is not too hot because too much heat will end up killing your yeast.
If you use a lighter ale for your beer bread, your bread will be colored white or really light when it’s finished.
Never use flavored beer. You won’t like the taste you’re left with after the bread is done baking!
If you use a dark stout, your finished bread will be more of a brown color.
Wheat type beers work the best but you can use any beer you’d like.
Light pilsner beers can be used in beer bread but these type of bears don’t leave as much of a taste as other types of beers.
Don’t mix the ingredients before adding them to the bread pan. Your bread machine is made to do all the hard work for you, including the mixing.
Make sure your ingredients are aligned with the size of your bread machine. You don’t want to overfill your bread pan and end up with a mess. If you have a 1.5 pound pan don’t try to make a 2 pound loaf of bread.
Simple White Beer Bread Recipe
This recipe is made for a bread machine that can bake 1.5 pounds.
10 ounces of the beer of your choice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 1/2 cups of bread flour
1/4 cup of sugar
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1 3/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast
Pour the beer of your choice into a bowl and let it sit for at least 3 hours. This ensures that your beer is flat and there’s no carbonation. Once your beer is flat, you can pour it into the bread pan.
Next, add the olive oil, bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast into the bread machine. Make sure that these ingredients are added in this exact sequence. The liquid ingredients should be added first, then the dry ingredients. Unless your bread machine specifies differently.
Select the “Basic White” setting for a 1.5 pound loaf. Set the crust on “Dark”. Start your bread machine.
After 10 minutes check in on your bread. The bread should be shaped into a smooth ball. If the bread is too dry, add a tablespoon of water. If the bread ball is too soft, add a tablespoon of bread flour.
When your bread is finished baking, remove the bread right away and let it cool before serving it.
Cheesy Garlic Beer Bread Recipe
This recipe is made for a bread machine that can bake 1.5 pounds.
10 ounces of the beer of your choice
4 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar
4 ounces of shredded pepper-jack cheese
1/2 tablespoon of garlic
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of bread flour
1 tablespoon of bread machine yeast
1 tablespoon of butter
First, you need to melt the butter, on a stove or in a microwave. Let the butter cool to room temperature (68*F to 77*F). Once the melted butter is cooled down, rub this butter on each corner of the pan. This will help you remove the bread from the pain when your bread is finished.
In a saucepan, heat the beer and cheese together until the concoction is warm. The cheese doesn’t need to fully melt to mix it, it just needs to be as warm as the beer. This mixes the cheese and beer as well as flattens the beer. Let the mix cool to about 100*F. Once cooled, you can add the mix to the bread pan.
Next, add the garlic, sugar, salt, flour, and yeast in this exact order. Some bread machines want you to put the dry ingredients first. It depends on your machine but most machines have you add the liquid ingredients first. Unless your bread machine specifies differently.
Select the “Basic White” 1.5 pound setting on your bread machine. Select “Medium” for the crust setting. Start your bread machine.
After 10 minutes check in on your bread. At this point the bread should be a smooth ball. If the bread ball is too dry, add a tablespoon of water. If the bread ball is too soft, add a tablespoon of bread flour.
Once the bread is done baking, remove it from the bread machine right away. Let the bread sit out and cool before serving. Wanna slice perfect slices? Try out the Bambusi Bread Cutter!
Final Thoughts
We hope you enjoy our beer bread recipes. Feel free to change up ingredients and experiment with your taste buds. You can add different types of cheese and even veggies!
