This honey beer bread is so simple to make. You only need one bowl and a few minutes to make the batter. It’s buttery with a subtle beer flavor and a touch of honey, so it’s not overly sweet.
I love this bread, I love this bread. I cannot emphasize how much I love this honey beer bread. The fact that it is oh-so-easy to make is even better. No yeast, no kneading and It took me less than five minutes to whip it all together and pop it in the oven.
I’ve made beer breads before. There was the beer bread with cheese crust. Then the even cheesier beer bread. While I enjoyed both of the breads and marveled at the simplicity of putting them together, they didn’t wow me enough to want to make them over and over again.
When I found a honey beer recipe on Gimme Some Oven I wanted to give it a try – it looked just too easy not to – and I’m so glad I did. I made a few adjustments and it’s by far the best homemade beer bread I’ve tried.
Notes about Honey Beer Bread
- A lot of quick bread recipes are really sweet, but this honey beer bread is only slightly sweet, so it’s perfect to serve alongside savory dishes. It’s also delicious just as it is with some butter.
- The texture of the bread is wonderful and it tastes great even after it has sat for a day at room temperature.
- As far as beer flavor, it’s pretty subtle. I couldn’t really taste it, but Boyfriend said he could and he thought it complemented the honey flavor.
- This honey beer bread reminded us both of the bread we’re often served in restaurants. It’s hearty, not too sweet and we couldn’t stop eating it. We polished off the whole loaf the first day.
- The original recipe calls for a lot more butter than what I’ve listed. Half of it was supposed to go in the bottom of the pan and the rest poured over the top of the batter. When I tried it, I wasn’t happy with how the butter stayed in the bottom of the pan instead of being absorbed into the bread as it baked. When I removed the bread there was a thick and oily butter layer. So, I’ve reduced the amount of butter so that there’s enough to pour over the top of the batter once it’s in the pan.
- I recommend using a 7×3-inch loaf pan instead of a 9×5-inch one. When I baked this bread in the larger pan it came out short and wide, which I didn’t like. When I baked it in the smaller pan it baked up beautifully.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Honey or agave nectar
- 12 ounces beer
- Melted butter
How to Make Honey Beer Bread
Grease a 7×3-inch loaf pan and preheat your oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk all of the dry ingredients together. Add the honey and beer and stir just until combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter otherwise your bread will have a tougher texture.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Pour the melted butter over the top of the batter.
Bake the bread for 50 to 60 minutes or until the bread is golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean. I recommend checking on your bread at the 50-minute mark so you don’t overbake it. Every oven is different, so the bake time may vary. My bread took almost 65 minutes before it was done.
We happily munched on this bread and finished off most of the loaf within one day. But it’s okay because it’s so easy to make that I can make this again and again. Hopefully next time we can restrain ourselves and use some of it to make Beer Bread Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.
Honey Beer Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp honey or agave nectar warmed (see note)
- 1 bottle 12 ounces beer
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 7 x 3-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir the beer and honey into the dry ingredients until just mixed. Don't over mix!
- Spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the melted butter on top of the batter.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Depending on your oven you may need more or less time. My bread actually needed around 65 minutes because parts of it were done but certain parts were still doughy. I recommend checking it at 50 minutes and leave it in the oven if it needs more time.
Notes
- The original recipe calls for double the amount of butter, but I think half the amount is better so I’ve updated the recipe. So, instead of pouring butter into the bottom of the pan I just pour the two tablespoons over the top of the batter. That way you don’t have a pool of oily butter in the bottom of the pan after the bread is baked.
- I put my honey in the microwave for a few seconds as was suggested in the original recipe, so that it came out much easier.
- 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.
Do you think this would work in a bread machine?
I have not tested in a bread machine so I am not sure
i just made this and it was fantastic!!! thanks for the recipe 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it!
This is strange. I could have sworn I replied to this comment. Anyway, sorry this is coming so late. I hope you had success getting a bottle of beer away from your husband!
I’m going to play around with the baking powder/flour ratio. I’ll let you know if I come up with something more successful.
I’m going to try this recipe this weekend again. I also will leave it in the oven longer – and see what happens! The crust was so awesome last time that i don’t want to mess around too much w/ the baking time. Wondering if I do have to mix it better? Oh well – excited to see what happens though! Thanks again!
Hi Sawyer- I’m glad you tried out the recipe. I really am not sure what is causing the doughiness. I’m going to play around with this recipe a little bit and see if I can solve the problem.
As for salted and unsalted butter, I don’t think it makes much of a difference. I usually use unsalted, but I’m pretty sure I’ve used salted and had good results. If you use salted butter, I would recommend adjusting any salt called for in the recipe. Like halving the amount called for.
hey kirbie, i tried this recipe out today. i seemed to have the same problem, where although it passed the toothpick test, it was doughy, and i did it for around 80 min lol. could it have been because i didn’t mix it well enough? overall though i loved the taste and will be experimenting w/ different beers.
on a unrelated note, how much difference is there between salted and unsalted butter?
Hi Faye- Glad to hear you made the recipe. I love using Newcastle beer! I was having some problems with mine being doughy as well. I ended up baking mine for about ten minutes extra. I forgot to add that. So I think I was closer to around 65 minutes.
mmmmm, sounds lovely and quick to make too which is a real bonus! I just need to tussle with my husband now so he lets me use one of “his” bottles of beer!!!
I just made this last night for some friends and it was awesome! I used Newcastle beer i think. It tastes like the one my cousin made for Xmas.
Thanks for the recipe and the cooking tips.
Oh – i used the butter and it absorbed really nicely on the top and bottom.
I really liked the crunchiness of the crust. But the inside was a bit dough-y. Did i not cook it long enough? I was over 50 min.
Hi Carol! Ooh, french toast sounds delicious. I think this bread should be able to hold up, it’s pretty dense and sturdy. Let me know if you try using it as French toast!
If you dont like the taste of beer, I would recommend using a really light beer. If you enjoy beer, then I would recommend you choosing your favorite beer. The taste of the beer is pretty subtle either way so it doesn’t make that much of a difference. But in terms of quality of the bread, I dont think it makes a difference what beer you use.
Sounds delicious! I wonder how well this bread would hold up as French toast. I’ve been looking for a good bread recipe that’s easy to make French toast. This might be it.
My younger cousin made honey beer bread over xmas and it was really good as well! Yours looks yummy too.
What type of beer did you use? Any preference?