Make this recipe. Seriously. It is so easy. You most likely have all the ingredients on hand. You are going to feel like the most accomplished baker for how little effort provides such amazing results. And, your family is going to love you.
The method of topping the dough with slices of butter is just pure genius. The butter melts into the bread as it bakes to create the most insanely delicious crackly crust.
This is definitely one of those recipes you want to eat warm out of the oven.
Of course, call it over-the-top, but if you do happen to have leftovers, toast a slice, smear it with butter, and sprinkle with a bit of flaky salt. OMG.
[p.s. You could also pair this with one of Our Favorite Dinner Recipes We Make On Repeat. 😋]
Ridiculously Easy Five-Ingredient Honey Butter Beer Bread
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Quick Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Makes one 9x5-inch loaf
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 TB baking powder
- ½ tsp fine-grain salt (like table or sea salt)
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (see Notes)
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, cut into 16 equal-ish slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir to combine the flour, honey, baking powder and salt. Pour in the beer and stir until just combined - it's okay if the dough is lumpy. Spoon the dough into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Place the slices of butter evenly on top of the dough.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the bread is lightly golden on top. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan on a wire rack, and then turn out the bread onto a cutting board. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Note that this recipe calls for *salted* butter. That's often a no-no in baking recipes, but it definitely works well in this one! So go for it!!
- This is a great note on the beer selection from the original recipe, so I'm just going to quote the author verbatim: "For this bread, I tend to use lighter beers like Heineken, but I've had great success with dark beers as well. Each beer will change the flavor slightly, so use one you love. In the fall, I like to use a pumpkin beer!"
- Recipe just barely adapted from The Half Baked Harvest Cookbook by Tieghan Gerard.
Keywords: Half Baked Harvest, Tieghan Gerard, Beer Bread, Quick Bread
Sue Lindbergh
Not only was this recipe ridiculously easy, it was also ridiculously good. I am not a bread baker, as I am intimidated by yeast recipes. But as this recipe was not made with yeast, it fit my capabilities perfectly. It was so quick and easy to put together, and the end product was delicious. I will be making this bread frequently.
★★★★★
Sarah Marx Feldner
Sue...Thank you!!! And I feel the same way about yeast recipes. xo!
april
Such a huge hit in our home. My daughter makes it on the regular!! Super easy, delicious and on the table in under an hour. Pro-tip: slice & toast the next morning for perfect morning bite. Love everything I find on bakeitwrite!!
★★★★★
Sarah Marx Feldner
LOVE that your daughter makes this. Kids is the kitchen is the best!!
Amanda
Delicious! The butter slices made a crunchy crust and the interior crumb was moist. This bread was a great side for a bowl of spicy chili.
Sarah, I needed to bake the loaf a bit longer which then made the bottom crust a little bit too tough for me. Would baking the loaf on a lower rack help with this?
I'll definitely bake this again! Tasty and so simple.
Sarah Marx Feldner
Hi Amanda! Hmmm...Did you happen to bake this in a glass loaf pan? Not that you would have known, but I always make this in a metal pan. According to King Arthur Flour, "The standard advice for baking in glass is to lower the oven temperature by 25°F from what the recipe calls for, and bake up to 10 minutes longer." Thoughts???
Amanda
I noticed that your photo showed a metal pan, so that's what I used. However, I did increase my oven temperature because it tends to run 25 degrees cooler.
Does placing your pan on top of another pan or wrapping it in foil help in this situation?
Sarah Marx Feldner
Hi Amanda - You've really stumped me here! I don't think I'd bake it on a lower rack, as the bottom was already too crusty for you, and that might make it even crustier. I have foil-tented quick breads in the past when the top is getting overly browned before the interior is baked. I'm wondering if just for this recipe, you don't increase your oven temperature...
I'm sorry I can't offer a more definitive solution. When you make this again, I'd love to know what solution worked for you. xoxo
Amanda
Thanks Sarah! I'll try leaving the temperature at 375.
I'm planning on making chili and beer bread again this Sunday since it was so delicious. I'll keep you posted!