This beer cheese bread recipe only uses a handful of ingredients and can be thrown together in just a couple of minutes. It is a quick bread, meaning it doesn’t use yeast, so it doesn’t need time to rise. The baking powder and beer provide all the lift it needs. This recipe makes one loaf but it is easy to double. Here’s how to make it:
Ingredients:
3 c. flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tbsp. sugar
1 (12 oz.) beer
3/4 cup shredded cheese
Equipment:
1 loaf pan (greased and floured) or you could use a dutch oven
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (f). Pour flour into a medium mixing bowl.
Add baking powder, salt, sugar, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes to the bowl and mix until blended.
Add the beer and mix just until it comes together. Too much mixing leads to tough bread.
Your dough should look like this.
Add the cheese and mix gently until it is evenly distributed.
Pour dough into a greased and floured loaf pan and spread it out into an even layer.
Place in oven and bake for 50 minutes. The bread will be golden brown on top and a toothpick insterted into the middle of it will come out clean. When it’s done, let it cool for 5-10 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan.
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda’s
Here’s where it gets interesting. There are lots of possibilities for this simple bread.
- Add your favorite herbs to the dough
- Add diced jalapenos for some heat
- Make drop biscuits instead of a loaf
- Try different kinds of cheese — I used a 4 cheese blend this time. My preference is to use a sharp cheddar. You could also use pepper jack to get the heat
- Try different kinds of beer. A lighter beer yields a more tame beer flavor. A dark beer will make a heavier bread
Here are some different serving ideas:
- Butter slices and serve with chili
- Make croutons! Dice up a few slices of bread and saute with butter or olive oil until toasted and crisp. Put them on salad or float them on soup (beer cheese soup, maybe?)
- Slice the bread and put mozzarella cheese on it and put it under the broiler until toasted. Dip this in marinara sauce
