Bacon Cheese Beer Bread

Why Beer Bread Works

This recipe for beer bread starts with self-rising flour. Self-rising flour is a combination of flour, baking powder, and salt. The combination of the baking powder and the salt works together to act as a leavening agent.

In my Pizza Dough recipe, you can see how we add yeast (the leavening agent) to warm water and wait for it to proof before adding it to the flour mixture and letting that dough rise. By using self-rising flour, we skip that step in this recipe.

How to Make Beer Bread with Cheese and Bacon

Here is a brief overview of how to make this simple bread. For the full recipe including all measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Whisk together the dry ingredients. Combine the self-rising flour and sugar.
• Stir in the beer. See my recommendations on beer and alternatives below. Then add the cooked bacon and cheese.
• Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan. Be sure to see my bread pan recommendation below, as pans can make a huge difference.
• Bake. In the last three minutes of baking, add melted butter if desired. Allow to cool before slicing.

How to Make Self-Rising Flour

There are a few differences when it comes to all-purpose flour and self-rising flour and they are not interchangeable. Self-rising flour contains baking powder and salt; all-purpose flour does not. Additionally, self-rising flour is made with wheat and is lower in protein than all-purpose flour.

It is possible to make a substitute for self-rising flour with all-purpose flour, but keep in mind it won’t be exactly the same because you are changing the protein level.

For every cup of flour you use, you need one teaspoon of fresh baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of table salt. So for this recipe, you can replace the self-rising flour with:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt

The Best Bread Pan

When people tell me a bread recipe didn’t work, the first question I always ask them is what kind of pan they used. Metal, ceramic, and glass all conduct heat differently and will have a different impact on your baking recipe. I opt for metal for all my baked goods because it conducts heat the best.

The bread pan you see here is this one from USA Pans. I’ve actually bought a second one of these so that I can double my recipes and make two loaves at once!

Best Beer For Beer Bread

I get asked what beer is best for beer bread a lot with this recipe and my Original Beer Bread Recipe. The answer is: whatever type of beer you like. It is important to use a beer that you would drink on its own because even with the bacon and cheese it can be a strong flavor in this bread.

I use a pilsner because it is light and doesn’t have an intense flavor. Though I have only made this recipe with pilsner beers, this bread will work with any type of beer. It also works with soda (read more on that below). This is a great recipe to play around with and figure out what you like.

Making Beer Bread With Soda

If you have someone in your life who is sober, you can still make this great bread! This recipe for beer bread works great with soda. I make it with lemon-lime soda (like Sprite or 7-Up). It has just a slightly smaller rise that is barely noticeable. Because of the additional sugar content, it browns just slightly more.

Overall, soda is a great substitute for beer in this recipe. I think that a lemon-lime soda is the best choice because it has the mildest taste of sodas.

Cooking Bacon

Making Beer Bread Gluten Free

This bread recipe can be made gluten-free if you make your own self-rising flour with gluten-free flour. As you can see in the photo in my beer bread recipe, it doesn’t have quite the same rise as when you use flour with gluten, but it absolutely does work.

I suggest using a gluten-free flour that is meant to replace all-purpose flour one-for-one. I used King Arthur’s brand in this test. You will want to use:

• 3 cups gluten-free one-for-one flour substitute
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt

Freezing

You can make this recipe ahead of time and freeze it. Once it has fully cooled, store it in an airtight container with the air removed, like a gallon ziplock bag, and keep it in the freezer for up to three months.

You can also freeze this bread in slices. Once the bread has cooled, cut it into slices and freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet for a few hours. Then transfer them to an airtight container and freeze them for up to three months.

Allow the beer bread to thaw before enjoying it. Reheat in the oven for 10 minutes.

Other Beer Bread Variations

Because the original beer bread recipe is so simple, it is easy to customize it with mix-ins and make variations. Here are a few of my favorite beer bread recipes:

• Jalapeño Popper Beer Bread Recipe is your favorite Jalapeno Poppers in beer bread form.
• With its deep blue cheese flavor and buffalo kick, this Buffalo Beer Bread is different and delicious.
• A Beer Bread Bowl will be your new favorite way to serve dips!