Homemade Beer Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you know when beer bread is done? ›

Bake the bread for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted about 1/2" into the top of the loaf comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

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.

Beer has yeast, but it doesn't always have enough to make the bread rise on its own. Craft brews sometimes leave the live yeast in (it forms a sort of sediment in the bottle), but mass-produced beers usually filter it out. If you relied on just the beer for rising, it might come out too dense.

Use room temperature beer: This helps the bread rise and creates a better texture than cold beer. Don't over-mix: After adding the beer to the dry ingredients, mix enough until just incorporated and nothing more. Overworking the dough will create a very dense loaf.

Gently press your finger into the dough on the top. If the dough springs back quickly, it's underproofed. If it springs back very slowly, it's properly proofed and ready to bake. Finally, if it never springs back, the dough is overproofed.

Sandwich bread and pan loaves: “The color should be a rich golden brown and the top crust should feel firm. Don't be afraid to tilt the loaf out of the pan to be sure the sides and bottom are also nicely golden brown and sturdy.”

Without sufficient leavening from the beer, a loaf of beer bread will be fairly dense and heavy unless an additional leavening agent (e.g., baking soda, baking powder, baker's yeast and sugar, sourdough starter, or wild yeast cultured from the environment) is added.

If you bake an overworked dough, it will come out hard. Even though you aren't kneading beer bread, the same principle applies. It can be harder to tell when the dough is overworked, though, since you won't feel it in your hands and the mixture isn't supposed to be smooth. Instead, rely on your eyes.

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.

Too much yeast can lead to an overly active fermentation process, which can cause a beer to become too carbonated. When this happens, the yeast consumes sugars and produces carbon dioxide gas. The gas builds up in the beer, causing it to become excessively foamy and carbonated.

How many packs of yeast do you need to make bread? ›

Well, from my experience, 1 packet of dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) can work its magic for around 4 cups (about 544 grams of flour) – slightly more than 2 packets of fresh yeast or 3/4 packet of instant yeast.

Since most beers still contain yeast cells at the end of the fermentation process, you can substitute a can of beer for yeast for a denser result. The alcohol from the beer evaporates off during baking, leaving behind a deliciously rich taste that is safe for all ages.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), baked or simmered dishes that contain alcohol will retain 40% of the original amount after 15 minutes of cooking, 35% after 30 minutes and 25% after an hour. But there's no point at which all of the alcohol disappears.

It's important to note that when using beer in bread recipes, the alcohol content will cook off during the baking process, so the bread will not be alcoholic. Additionally, if you are sensitive to gluten, be sure to use a gluten-free beer or substitute another liquid, such as soda or carbonated water.

Unopened beer bread generally lasts up to a week past the sell-by date. Once opened, it's best to consume it within 2-3 days. If you've baked homemade beer bread, try to consume it within 2-3 days as well. If you choose to freeze it, beer bread can last from 2 to 3 months.

Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more. Remove the lid and bake for 15 minutes more. You can be extra-sure that the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the top or side registers 210°F.

Dough that is over-fermented will start to spread once scored and look bubbly/weak. You'll notice it falling in a bit or a lot. Notice how the whole loaf is collapsing. If you notice your dough is over-fermented be sure to score very shallow and use a minimum of scoring slashes.

It's important to note that when using beer in bread recipes, the alcohol content will cook off during the baking process, so the bread will not be alcoholic. Additionally, if you are sensitive to gluten, be sure to use a gluten-free beer or substitute another liquid, such as soda or carbonated water.

Once you get used to a recipe though, you will just bake at some temperature for some length of time and take your loaves out knowing they are done. Generally, if the crust is brown and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap on the bottom of it, it's done.