Fast Homemade Bread Alternative: Beer Bread Recipe

I was first introduced to Beer Bread at a Tastefully Simple party before I ever knew a scratch Beer Bread recipe existed.

The Beer Bread offered through Tastefully Simple was a tasty boxed mix to which you added a twelve ounce can or bottle of beer, then baked. It was so simple to make, even my least domestic friends bought several boxed mixes. Had we known then what I know now, we could have saved ourselves some cash. Tastefully Simple sells their Beer Bread mix for almost five dollars per box. For a couple dollars more, you can buy all the ingredients to make a six-pack of loaves.

The recipe.

I happened across this Beer Bread recipe at the Uncle Phaedrus, finder of lost recipes website while I was searching for a recipe for Apple Cider Donuts. I was amazed at how simple a Beer Bread Recipe was, and feeling a little duped for having spent money on a boxed mix.

The recipe, as quoted from the Uncle Phaedrus website, is as follows:

BEER BREAD

Ingredients :
3 c. self-rising flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 can or bottle (12 oz.) beer, room temp. (not light beer)

Preparation :
Mix (only 17-20 strokes) all ingredients. Place in greased 9 x 5x 3 inch loaf pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until lightly browned and sides pull away from pan. Brush with butter halfway through baking time.

Why this works.

As you can see, a Beer Bread recipe requires none of the tedious kneading and rising of a traditional bread recipe, but the result is very similar. Why is that? Notice the Beer Bread Recipe calls for 'self-rising flour'. Self-rising flour is flour with leavening agents added (baking soda and baking powder) to make the recipe rise and provide a slightly crumbly texture (think McDonald's crumbly, buttery biscuits). The beer in the Beer Bread recipe provides additional yeast and carbon dioxide which also contributes to the rising of the bread. However, with these ingredients, the rising action happens rapidly and doesn't last long, so Beer Bread has to be mixed quickly and baked immediately or the batter will fall.

A recipe as simple as it sounds.

You might question whether this recipe is really this easy, and if something with three ingredients can taste like homemade bread. The answer to either question is yes.

The best way to mix this bread for a great result is to combine the two dry ingredients, then make a well (bowl-shaped depression) in the flour mixture. Pour in the beer and mix only until combined. You'll note the Phaedrus recipe says seventeen to twenty strokes; it takes a few more, and that's okay, but over-mixing will release too much carbon dioxide and Beer Bread won't rise.

The result? A moist homemade bread with great, airy texture. Beer Bread is a little heavier than yeast breads, somewhere between yeast bread and nut-bread recipes. Served immediately, Beer Bread has a crunchy outer crust and soft middle. Allowed to sit in an airtight container, the crust softens a bit, making cutting Beer Bread a little less messy.

An additional note- light beer will usually work with this Beer Bread recipe, although results may vary by brewery. What I've found is that Beer Bread made with light beer has a more plain flavor, very much like homemade white bread. Regular beer or spiced, heavy beers add flavor to the Beer Bread recipe, and which beer you choose will alter the outcome (hint: Sam Adam's Winter Brew makes a wheat-tasting, slightly spicy bread). Which beer you choose to use in the Beer Bread recipe will depend on what you are serving your Beer Bread with.

No Going back.

Now that I've found and tried this Beer Bread recipe, I'll never buy a box mix again. Self-rising flour is priced only a little higher than all-purpose flour, and even adding a can of beer brings the total cost of this homemade Beer Bread to well under two dollars. The ease of preparing and baking this Beer Bread recipe can't be beat. Including an hour's worth of baking time still keeps the total process less than half of what it would take to mix, knead, and rise a traditional yeast bread (baking time not included).

Beer Bread is versatile, and is a great bread for sandwiches, bread courses, soup companions, or just served with a pat of soft butter.