A flavorful gluten free beer bread that has the highest rise of any non-yeast bread combined with the tang of beer and a texture that you can’t help but love.
There are not many breads that can boast only 9 ingredients, no yeast and a rise and texture that would rival any found in a bakery. But this one not only hits the mark, it surpasses it! With the added bonus of being dairy free and egg free, it's a great alternative for allergy friendliness.
Enjoy a good quick bread? Then be sure to check out my Irish soda bread and this tasty garlic bread!
Jump to:
Why this homemade beer bread is the best!
This light and perfectly textured loaf has a flavor that’s just the right balance between tang and well, bread… It's got a full 12 ounces of beer in the recipe, so that contributes to that amazing height. Besides being delicious, it's also:
- Dairy free
- Egg free
- 9 ingredients
- Quick to mix
- Stores well
Baking pro tips
For the absolute best beer bread, follow these tied and true tips...
- Rest time - When working with any of these flours, be sure to let the batter 'rest' for 30 minutes before pouring into the baking pan. The rest time is essential for properly hydrating the batter.
- Room temperature - Always bring your ingredients to room temperature before mixing - this includes flours too!
- Measuring flours is super simple - just use a digital kitchen scale and spoon it into a plastic container. Always measure by weight and not cups!
Unique to this recipe:
Beer - Redbridge is a great brand, but there are others. As long as it’s not cider beer, it should work fine.
Cheese - Follow Your Heart is my go-to for dairy free cheese. It still has that distinctive 'vegan cheese smell' (wish this was not the case!) but it bakes beautifully in this loaf.
Butter - Any vegan, plant based butter will work well - I used Earth Balance in this recipe because it's the one most often in stock.
Use a smaller pan size - A 9”x 5” pan will work, but you’ll get a bigger rise and a better looking loaf of bread if you use an 8" x 4.5" size pan. The bake time should be about 50-55 minutes total.
How to make this bread
The ingredients
With just 9 ingredients, this recipe comes together really quickly. The flour mix is our gluten free flour mix which is a mixture of rice flours and starches to give this bread a wonderfully starchy and perfectly textured consistency.
Mixing
First you'll mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl (image 1). Then mix in the shredded cheese (image 2). Add the beer all at once and stir until combined (images 3 and 4). After the beer is completely mixed in, add the melted butter and mix (image 5).
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes before shaping (image 6).
Baking
After the rest time, scrape the batter into an 8" x 4.5" dimpled edge baking pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until instant read thermometer registers 205 - 210 F. Cool completely before slicing.
Note: Gluten free bread has that pesky tendency to get a soggy bottom if left in the pan for too long. Don’t let that happen to this bread. 10 minutes should be enough time for it to firm up. Then carefully remove it and let it finish cooling before cutting.
As hard as it is, wait to cut this and most all gluten free bread until it’s completely cool.
Recipe FAQs
The recipe was created using this flour mix. Other mixes may work, but they haven't been tested.
Yes! I used Follow Your Heart brand and it is one of the better tasting, better preforming cheeses I have tried (and I've tried more dairy free cheeses than I can count!),
I recommend the slice and freeze method as I go over in the Baking Masterclass. It will keep it fresh tasting and delicious much longer than sitting on a countertop.
Recipe
And now for the recipe for this delicious gluten free beer bread! Oh, and if you enjoyed the recipe, will you give it a rating?!
Recipe
Gluten Free Beer Bread
Ingredients
- 390 grams gluten free bread's flour mix about 3 cups
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 85 grams dairy free shredded cheddar cheese
- 12 ounces gluten free beer
- 4 Tablespoons plant based butter melted and cooled
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, sugar and black pepper together.
- Add the shredded cheese to the flour mixture and mix until well blended.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the beer. Stir until smooth.
- Stir in the melted butter.
- Set batter aside for 30 minutes to hydrate the flour.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease an 8 x 4 ½-inch loaf pan.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake the bread until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes.
- Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer loaf to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Video
Notes
- No electric mixer needed for this recipe.
- This recipe as tested with Follow Your Heart brand of cheddar cheddar cheese.
- Double check that whatever beer you use is GF. Don't use a cider beer!
Nutrition
For more gluten free baking tips, check out these posts:
- Alternatives to Gums in Gluten Free Baking
- How to Substitute for Xanthan Gum
- Differences Between Potato Starch and Potato Flour
- Is Xanthan Gum a Substitute for Baking Powder?
And these recipes are some of our most requested:
Allison
You’re really a super star for me in the GF baking world Christine. GF does take more work for me but you make it easy—thanks!!!!
Christine
Hi Allison, you made my day 🙂
Really really appreciate the kind words!
~Christine
Meredith Bartek
This is delicious! I used regular butter and sharp cheddar and added some Aleppo pepper for a little extra heat; I plan to try different seasonings the next time I make it. I baked it a round ceramic casserole for a different shape. Thanks!!!
Christine
Hi Meredith,
Oh wonderful - and great additions! Thank you for the feedback and review.
Christine