If you're looking for an easy quick bread recipe with big flavor and easy prep, you HAVE to try this Sourdough Beer Bread recipe. Made with just 7 ingredients, it combines the flavors of sourdough, beer, and honey to make one deliciously amazing loaf of sourdough quick bread.
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I'm always dreaming up of more ways I can use up the always-growing-always-going stash of sourdough starter I have in my fridge. Daily feedings and discards make it so that I always have a good amount of discard to use up, and I'm always finding new ways to use it.
Whether it's my Sourdough Texas Sheet Cake, Sourdough Drop Biscuits, or even my Sourdough Discard Cheese Crackers, I try not to let my precious leftovers go to waste!
Inspired by that need to use up my tangy, delicious sourdough starter, is this yummy Sourdough Beer Bread. Not only does it have the signature tang we all know and love, but it also has an infusion of beer to bump up the flavor potential.
Add in a bit of honey, and it's no wonder the loaf didn't make it through the night!
Let's get started:
Ingredients
- Beer: You can use any type of beer that you enjoy! I would recommend staying away from bitter ales, as they don't make as pleasant of a bread as smoother tasting brews. You can even use non-alcoholic if you prefer.
- Sourdough discard: You will need approximately 1 cup of sourdough discard. This can be from your stash in the fridge, or it can be freshly discarded from your active sourdough starter.
- Honey: This provides the sweetness for the recipe, and is a perfect compliment to the flavors of beer. You will need your honey to be warm and runny, so heat it for a few moments until it is thin and pourable.
- Butter: I recommend using salted butter, since that compliments the flavors best. If you only have unsalted, go ahead and up the salt by ¼ teaspoon or so.
- Flour: Either all purpose or all purpose unbleached will work great for this recipe. Don't use whole wheat or alternative flours.
- Baking powder: Provides the instant rise, making this a quick bread that requires no rising and no resting time.
- Salt: Just a little bit of your favorite salt will add the perfect bit of saltiness to your sourdough beer bread.
How to Make Sourdough Beer Bread
Start off by preheating the oven to 350°F and greasing a glass loaf pan. Set aside.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl. Whisk well to combine (I love using these Danish dough whisks for all my sourdough baking).
Make a well in the center of the bowl using your fingers.
Pour in 1 cup of beer, then add in the warmed honey, and sourdough discard.
PRO TIP: To warm the honey, add it to a saucepan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, OR heat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds at a time until warmed through.
Start whisking the flour and liquids together.
Until all of the flour in the dough is moistened, and you have a thick, consistent batter formed.
Add 2 tablespoons of the melted butter to the bottom of a glass loaf pan.
Add the beer bread batter to the loaf pan, and smooth it out evenly with the back of the silicone spatula.
Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter on top of the batter, aiming to distribute it as evenly as possible.
Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the loaf.
Allow to cool inside the loaf pan for 10-15 minutes.
Run a butter knife alongside the edges of the pan and turn the loaf onto a wire cooling rack.
Allow the loaf to cool for 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving warm with softened butter, honey, or just as is!
Sourdough Beer Bread also makes a great side alongside a warm, comforting bowl of hearty soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
You cannot add beer to your active sourdough starter, as it may introduce bacteria that would not otherwise be present in simply water and flour. You can, however, add it to your baked goods along with your sourdough starter to infuse your baking with that signature beer flavor.
Beer adds a lovely flavor to your favorite bread recipes, and also interacts with the baking powder and sugar in the recipe to help it rise. This also helps it become light and with a loose crumb, rather than dense and chewy.
If your beer bread is crumbly, the chances are you have added too much flour. This can be easy to do, since flour can easily be measured inaccurately. For the best results, measure your flour by scooping and leveling each cup before adding it to the bowl.
No! While room temperature is preferred for rise, you can use cold beer if that is what you have on hand. To warm your beer in a pinch, place an unopened can in a sink full of hot water and wait for 5 minutes. Then, go ahead and use your beer as directed in the recipe.
Beer interacts with the sugar and baking powder in bread, and helps provide lift (aka rise) to the finished product. This is primarily used in quick breads, since they use the baking powder and sugar that beer is likely to react with, while standard bread recipes do not.
No! Your beer can be flat, or fizzy for beer bread. In fact, fizzy beer tends to work a bit better and provide a better rise for your bread than flat beer does.
Whatever beer is your favorite in terms of flavor is likely to work well for your bread. Be sure to avoid bitter ales, as they give a bitter taste to the final result and it is not pleasant. Lighter, sweeter brews tend to work better.
You likely used an ale that had bitter undertones, and so that flavor was passed off to the finished loaf. Next time, use a beer with a more mellow or sweet flavor profile.
More Sourdough Quick Breads
- Sourdough Pumpkin Bread
- Sourdough Zucchini Bread
- Sourdough Discard Cornbread
- Sourdough Irish Soda Bread
- Sourdough Banana Bread - The Clever Carrot
Adapted From: Honey Beer Bread - Gimme Some Oven
Sourdough Beer Bread Recipe
If you're craving a quick bread with good flavor, easy prep, and a signature sourdough tang, you're going to love this easy quick bread made with beer and sourdough starter.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup honey, heated so it is runny
- 1 cup beer (8oz)
- 1 cup sourdough starter (discard)
- ¼ cup melted salted butter, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9X4 loaf pan with a small amount of butter.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl. Whisk it well to combine, and form a well in the middle of the flour mixture.
- Pour in the beer, warmed honey, and sourdough discard.
- Fold everything together using a silicone spatula, mixing until all of the flour has been moistened and the batter is consistent.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into the bottom of the loaf pan. Swirl is around to coat.
- Add the sourdough beer bread batter to the loaf pan, and smooth it out evenly.
- Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter on top of the bread and place in the oven.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before running a knife along the side of the loaf pan to release the bread.
- Place the beer bread on a wire cooling rack, and allow to rest until mostly cooled.
- Slice and serve with softened butter.
Notes
Adapted From: Honey Beer Bread - Gimme Some Oven
Heating honey: To get your honey thin and pourable, simply heat it in a saucepan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. You can also heat it in a microwave safe bowl for 10-15 seconds at a time.
Beer: Choose a mild, slightly sweet flavored beer without any bitter undertones. It is best if the beer is fizzy and room temperature, but flat or cold beer will work fine too.
Sourdough Starter: For the best results, use sourdough discard that has just been removed from an active starter. You can also use sourdough discard that has been stored in your fridge, but fresh discard will give you the best flavor and rise.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 SliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 186Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 331mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 4g
Nutrition information is an estimate only.
Kourtney says
If I wanted to let the bread mixture ferment for several hours would I leave out any ingredients such as the baking powder/salt? What would you suggest?
Thank you!
Dolly says
Yes you could definitely do that! If it's for the additional benefits of fermentation you can combine the flour and starter (I would recommend active starter) and allow to ferment overnight before adding the remaining ingredients if that makes sense!
Corinne says
Hi! Can you replace the butter with olive oil? I’m making this for someone that has a dairy allergy
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
I haven't personally tried that, but it should work out okay (you may need to add a bit of additional flour). Melted coconut oil would work well too (although you would want to use refined - so the coconut taste is removed).
Angela says
I need to try this out. need to change up my bread recipe.
Vanessa says
The flavor was good but it was very spongy, like an actual sponge. I would definitely try it again to see if the texture would be different.
Mandi says
My favorite go to base recipe!!
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
Thanks Mandi! Glad you like it!
Angel says
Do I have to use a glass loaf pan or can I use a silicone loaf pan ?
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
I find silicone pans can "sweat" a bit, or hold liquid. This can make the surface a little extra moist. If you're okay with that, I think it would be fine! A standard loaf pan made from stainless steel or aluminum will work fine too.
Karen says
Could I use sugar or brown sugar in place of the honey? Same amount? Thank you-
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
I haven't tested it with a swap for sugar or brown sugar. Because the honey is a liquid sweetener, you might end up with a dry bread if you swap it for a granulated sugar.
Julie West says
I love this bread and how easy it was to make!!😃
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
Yay! Glad to hear you loved it Julie!
Jamie says
It was delicious! Thanks for sharing
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
Glad you enjoyed the recipe Jamie!
Angie says
Does it have to be active starter or can it be discard?
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
Can be either active starter or discarded starter!
Barb says
Not sure where I went wrong but my bread when done the bottom half all the way through was way darker than the top half
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
It may be the type of pan used (dark pans can cause the bottom to overbrown), or you could have hot and cold spots in your oven. Otherwise I'm not sure what that could be!
Megan says
Could you add green olives to this as an add in?
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
I can't see why not!
Mary Lucy Glockner says
I make this all the time! I have 4 loaves baking right now to give to friends.
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
Yay! So glad you love the recipe Mary!
Fran says
Do you think a lager like Yeungling would work for this?
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
I would think so! I've tried a few different types and have had success each time.
Stephanie says
The best most delicious bread I've ever had! Fantastic recipe