You only need one bowl and about 10 minutes to make the batter for this beer bread. It’s also flavored with bacon and cheese and it’s so delicious!
Beer breads are an easy way to make yeast breads without dealing with proofing and all the other traditional steps for yeast breads. Ever since I made a Honey Beer Bread last year, I love to make beer breads. They take minimal effort and have a wonderful aroma and taste that even non-beer drinkers can enjoy.
Cheese beer bread is one of my favorite variations and I’ve been wanting to make it for a while now and I don’t know why it took me so long! Well, I finally made it and I decided to make it even better by adding bacon bits.
How to Make Beer Bread
Like I mentioned, beer breads are easy to make, don’t require any additional yeast or time waiting for the bread to rise. I love that you can use them like regular bread like I did for a Beer Bread Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
Beer
Beer is used as a leavening agent for the bread. You can definitely taste the beer flavor in this bread, but most of the alcohol evaporates during baking.
For this recipe, you can pretty much use any kind you like but make sure it is a beer made with yeast. I recommend picking a beer that you enjoy drinking because it will give the same flavor to the bread.
I’ve made other beer breads with different kinds of beer, like my Pumpkin Ale Bread, and it’s fun to switch them up to create new bread flavors.
Cheese
I used shredded cheddar cheese for this beer bread because it goes really well with the beer and bacon.
My favorite part about the bread is the crust layer. I like to sprinkle some extra cheddar cheese over the top of the batter so once the bread is baked it has a cheesy, chewy cheddar cheese crust.
Bacon
One thing I learned the first time I made this beer bread: you definitely need to use precooked bacon. On my first attempt I used raw bacon and it simply did not cook enough even though the bread bakes for so long. I ended up with an unappetizing loaf filled with chunks of bacon fat.
So, be sure to use precooked bacon. I buy packages of precooked bacon at Coscto, but if you can’t find it go ahead and fry raw bacon first until it’s almost cooked. I like to finely chop the bacon before adding it to the batter
The Beer Bread Batter
Like I mentioned, the best thing about this bread is how easy it is to make the batter. Plus, you only need one bowl.
It’s as easy as whisking together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt before adding the shredded cheese and chopped bacon. After that, all you have to do is add the beer and stir.
I baked my bread in a 9×5” loaf pan, topped it with some melted butter and the extra cheese and popped it in the oven. It takes about an hour to bake at 350°F.
Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 5 strips precooked bacon diced into small chunks (see note)
- 1 (12-oz) bottle of beer
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x 5-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add 1 cup of cheese and the bacon. Add the beer and stir with a wooden spoon just until the batter comes together.
- Spoon the batter into the loaf pan, and pour the melted butter over the top. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top of the batter.
- Bake the bread for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Notes
- Be sure to use precooked bacon because raw bacon will not have enough time to cook through while the bread bakes. Look for precooked bacon at the store or, if you can't find it, cook the bacon in a pan for less time than you usually would. It should cook long enough to render some of its fat without turning crispy.
- Recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Made this bread yesterday. It is SO good. I’m going to make two tomorrow without the cheese/bacon for my sisters for Easter. They like “plain” more than anything and will eat it probably for toast. So easy. My favorite kind of recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it! I love how easy it is too. I usually make a honey version.
Just made this, and it is wonderful! Made a glutenfree, lactosefree version(allergies man, jeesh) and it tasts amazing. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
yay! love this simple recipe
Hi Guys,
I’m from the UK so when you say beer, what type of beer are you using for this. I think something like an IPA would be better than an ale but what would you say?
I’ve had success with all types of beers for this recipe. I usually tell people to just use the beer they enjoy drinking the most.
I think whenever you put chicken, bacon and beer in a food name you automatically win. Thanks for the post!
I hope you get a chance to check it out!
Oh this sounds amazing! I love bread and I love cheese so… can’t go wrong with this one. I’ve been wanting to make a beerbread for some time now so this weekend I will make this one! I hope mine’ll come out as good as yours 🙂
I’m sure it will! It’s pretty easy to make. Let me know how it turns out!