Best Beer for Beer Bread + Easy 5-Ingredient Recipe - Plain Everything (2024)

FAQs

What kind of beer should I use for beer bread? ›

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.

Amber and brown ales tend to be less bitter than the alternatives and feature a nutty flavor. Because of this, these beers are often recommended for caramels, cookies, and pies. Light-colored beers have their place in baking, too. Lagers and Witbiers are used in lighter cakes and cookies.

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.

Bread recipes call for yeast because carbon dioxide is the key ingredient needed to puff up the dough and make the bread fluffy. 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.

I've made beer bread with everything from craft beers (Allagash White, Moosehead, etc.), to commercial beers like Heineken, Miller Highlife, and Samuel Adams Boston Lager (which we found lends more of a pronounced aroma than others on the list, and didn't make our favorite loaf).

Your beer isn't cold yet! Well, don't worry, because when making our beer bread, you can use warm OR cold beer! When pouring the beer into the bowl with the mix, we recommend pouring slowly, so it doesn't over-bubble. The same goes for any carbonated beverage you use to make our Beer Bread Mix; cold or hot will work!

Baking with booze—such as bourbon, rum, port and vodka—can add additional flavor, texture and even change the consistency of many baked goods. Take pie dough for example, adding a splash of vodka produces a super flakey dough and develops less gluten in the dough than water.

We start most new homebrewers with an American Pale Ale because of its simple nature and great flavor. The style of American pale ale for the AHA is characterized by American-variety hops used to produce high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. This bold hop flavor balances out with smooth low to medium maltiness.

It's simple really. Wheat beers are great for chicken and seafood. If you're cooking pork, beef, and lamb, you will need ales, porters, and stouts. Hearty meat goes well with belgian ales.

Keep in mind, the alcohol evaporates in the baking process, so it is safe for the kids to enjoy as well. Add in cheese if you like, it's not necessary, but it is delicious. Drizzling butter on top helps it have a nice crust. This beer bread comes together in less than 5 minutes and bakes in less than an hour!

What type of yeast is used in beer and bread? ›

The strains of yeast used to make beer, bread, and wine come from the species of yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae. S. cerevisiae is known as “brewer's yeast” or “baker's yeast” for good reason: it's responsible for the fermentation that makes beer alcoholic and allows a lump of dough to rise into a loaf of bread.

You can even use non-alcoholic beer, if you'd prefer. What really matters is the yeast. Just be aware that using certain beers can influence the overall taste of your bread. If you're using a fruit beer, but want to make a cheese and garlic beer bread, your flavors might not mesh too well.

Don't Overmix. Overmixing the batter can cause the bread to turn out tough or crumbly. Stir gently and stop as soon as the flour disappears (and any mix-ins are incorporated).

What happens when you forget to add yeast to homebrew ale or beer? If you have sanitized everything properly, and the container is properly sealed, nothing happens. The wort just sits there and does nothing. The sugars in the wort don't ferment and no alcohol is produced.

The most common types of beers brewed are ales and lagers, so the most common yeast strains are Saccharomyces Cerevisiae (ale yeast) and Saccharomyces Pastorianus (lager yeast).

It's also the phrase you'll find gracing each box of Trader Joe's Beer Bread Mix. The flavor of the finished loaf really depends on what kind of beer you use: Go with a lager for a lighter profile, an IPA for a hearty, hoppy taste, or a stout for a rich result with a slightly darker finished product.

One of my favorite beers to use is Yuengling Lager. It's a medium-bodied lager with notes of caramel malt and a sweetness that makes it perfect for beer bread.

The beer acts in place of yeast as the leavening agent, along with the baking powder. Keep in mind, the alcohol evaporates in the baking process, so it is safe for the kids to enjoy as well. Add in cheese if you like, it's not necessary, but it is delicious. Drizzling butter on top helps it have a nice crust.

You can even use non-alcoholic beer, if you'd prefer. What really matters is the yeast. Just be aware that using certain beers can influence the overall taste of your bread. If you're using a fruit beer, but want to make a cheese and garlic beer bread, your flavors might not mesh too well.