Name: Best Sourdough Beer Bread From Scratch
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup fed sourdough starter or discard; 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 tsp salt; 1 1/2 cup beer; 4 tsp raw honey; 5 Tbsp melted butter; 1 tsp baking powder

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When a sourdough beer bread is made from scratch you know it’s going to be delicious. My recipe uses simplified steps and wholesome ingredients to ensure it’s easy to whip up. Each bite is full of tangy sourdough, a light beer taste, and of course delicious bread. Dip a slice in a bowl of soup or eat it with a spread of butter. You’ll be sure to love it either way!

loaf of bread with 2 slices cut off all on a wire rack cooling — Source: Plum Branch Home

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In our house, we love having a few warm slices of beer bread with a bowl of creamy vegetable chowder, tomato gnocchi soup, or even stuffed pepper soup. It’s such an easy side to whip up and goes great with savory bowls of stew.

Sourdough Beer Bread Recipe Inspiration

While the weather’s still a bit chilly, we’ve been enjoying lots of soup for supper lately. Each night I mix up the sides between homemade garlic bread, breadsticks, or garlic knots until I got inspired to whip up a beer bread.

A few days later I asked my husband to help me pick out a beer at the store for this recipe and got started in the kitchen. Now we have this bread with soups and many other suppers. It’s always such a delicious side!

loaf of bread on a wire rack and slices cut off — Source: Plum Branch Home

Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe

Easiest beer bread recipe you’ll make
The bread has the perfect texture with a soft crust
Freezes and stores really well
Goes great with soups

Choosing a Beer for Beer Bread

You’ll want to choose a light beer for beer bread instead of dark beers or IPAs. The light beer creates the perfect flavor without being overpowering or bitter. I use my husband’s choice beer, a Labatt Canadian Pilsener and it always turns out so yummy every time.

My Tips for the Best Beer Bread

avoid overmixing the batter
brush the top of the loaf with butter right after baking to keep a soft crust
let the bread loaf cool for 10 minutes, no more or less, in the pan on a wire rack

Ingredients You’ll Need

fed sourdough starter or discard
all-purpose flour
sea salt
beer
raw honey
melted butter
baking powder

Kitchen Tools for this Recipe (affiliate links)

How to Make Sourdough Beer Bread

ingredients being added into a bowl and mixed — Source: Plum Branch Home

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except 1 Tbsp of butter, together just until combined. Avoid over mixing.

pouring batter into a loaf pan — Source: Plum Branch Home

Pour batter into a greased 9×4 loaf pan.

bread whisk smoothing out dough batter in a pan — Source: Plum Branch Home

Use a spoon or spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Bake on 375 for 45-50 minutes, use a toothpick to ensure it’s done (when the toothpick comes out clean, it’s done).

brush brushing on melted butter on a loaf of bread — Source: Plum Branch Home

Brush the top of loaf with 1 Tbsp of melted butter, immediately after baking.

Let loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

loaf of bread on a wire rack — Source: Plum Branch Home

Once 10 minutes are up, remove bread from the pan and enjoy!

Long Fermentation Option

If you’d like the ingredients in this recipe to ferment, place the batter in the fridge for 12 – 24 hours before pouring it into the loaf pan for baking. This is completely optional.

Storage Instructions

Store beer bread in an air-tight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or 5 days in the fridge.

Freezing Instructions

Freeze bread in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw the loaf overnight in the fridge.

Best Ways to Serve Beer Bread

Serve slices warm with a spread of butter
Dip slices into soups like veggie chowder or tomato gnocchi soup
Serve slices with supper as a delicious side

Sourdough Beer Bread FAQ

Can you add beer to sourdough bread?

Of course! You can add beer to sourdough bread dough.

Doesn’t sourdough starter make beer?

I’ve never done it but I’ve heard people say they’ve made beer out of their starter.

What kind of beer is best for beer bread?

Any light beer is best for beer bread. These include lagers, ales, and pilsners. Dark beers and IPAs cause a strong beer flavor and can make the bread bitter.

Is it best to use fed sourdough starter or discard for this recipe?

You can use either fed or discard. It doesn’t matter which one.

Can I add beer to sourdough starter?

I don’t recommend adding beer to your actual sourdough starter, that should only ever be fed flour and water.

Does alcohol bake off in beer bread?

Mostly yes but not all alcohol bakes off while the bread cooks. There are studies showing recipes with beer or alcohol still have a small percentage present after baking. This always depends on the length of time and heat it’s cooked. This bread has a smaller percentage than one that cooks only 25 minutes.

Why is my beer bread so dense?

Overmixing can cause beer bread to be dense, next time stir it a little less and it’ll be lighter. It happens to the best of us 😊

How do I add beer to sourdough?

For this recipe, you’ll add it in place of water or other liquid.

Should beer be warm when adding to sourdough?

No, it doesn’t have to be warm before using it for this recipe.

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