White Cheddar and Herb Beer Bread

4 from 3 votes

White Cheddar and Herb Beer Bread

Beer bread is just about the easiest bread you could ever make. No yeast required and the bread comes together in just one bowl. White cheddar, thyme, and lemon balance the sweet and savory flavors of this classic easy bread.

This is great served on its own, toasted, or as a side to soup or chili.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Bread

Keyword: beer bread, easy bread recipe, Homemade bread

Servings:

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Cost: $6.00

Equipment

Mixing Bowl
Loaf Pan
Half Sheet Pan
Cooling Rack

Ingredients

Beer Bread:

3 Tbsp White Sugar
2 tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves (sub 1 tsp dried thyme)
1 tsp Lemon Zest
3 cups All-Purpose Flour (3 cups flour = 375g)
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Kosher Salt
6 oz Sharp White Cheddar, finely diced or grated, divided (I use a combination of diced and grated cheese)
1 12 oz bottle Beer (see note)
1 Tbsp Butter, melted

Hot Honey Butter (optional):

1 Tbsp Hot Honey
6 Tbsp Butter, softened

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, thyme leaves, and lemon zest. Use your hands to gently rub the thyme and lemon zest into the sugar (this will infuse the entire bread with herb and lemon flavor).
Add flour, baking powder, salt, and about 3/4 of the cheese (reserve some for topping) to the bowl and stir well to combine.
Pour in the beer and stir until everything is just combined. (The mixture will be very lumpy, but don’t over mix.)
Spread batter out evenly in prepared loaf pan.
Top bread with melted butter and reserved cheese.
Place loaf pan on a sheet pan. (This is important! Depending on the size of the loaf pan, some butter may drip over the sides while it bakes, so be sure to have a sheet pan underneath to catch it.)
Bake until a tester inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. (If using a metal loaf pan, the lower end of the range should be enough, but a ceramic or glass loaf pan will take longer.)
Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing.
If making the hot honey butter, stir hot honey into softened butter.
Slice. Spread hot honey butter onto bread if using. Enjoy!

Notes

Beer - Any type will work, but the flavor will be present in the bread, so use a beer that you like to drink. The alcohol cooks out while the bread bakes, but the flavor will remain. I like an IPA but a lighter pilsner or lager works great too. My kids sometimes dislike the slightly bitter flavor that comes from an IPA or more bitter beer, so a beer with a more mild flavor is certain to be more crowd-pleasing around our house.

Nutrition