Cheesy Jalapeño Beer Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best beer to use for beer bread? ›

Lighter beers, such as lagers, ales and pilsners, will give your bread a lighter color, and mild taste that just about everyone loves. Darker beers like stouts and porters make a darker-colored loaf and have a stronger beer flavor. Hoppy beers like IPAs will give your bread a more bitter taste.

Luckily, if you encounter this problem every time you break out the beer and the batter, there is an easy fix for your next loaf: Watch how much you're working it. Overworking the dough of your beer bread will affect the texture, causing it to turn from soft and chewy to tough and condensed.

Think brisket, chicken, ribs, steaks, pork loin – all pair wonderfully with a slice of beer bread. When you're trying to keep it lighter, pair beer bread with your favorite salad. We highly recommend Caesar salad!

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), baked or simmered dishes that contain alcohol will retain 40% of the original amount after 15 minutes of cooking, 35% after 30 minutes and 25% after an hour. But there's no point at which all of the alcohol disappears.

Can You Use Something Other Than Beer in Beer Bread? Absolutely! Almost any carbonated or noncarbonated beverage can be used, including water, soda pop, milk or buttermilk, fruit juice and even creamed corn! In general substitute 12 fluid ounces of whatever liquid you choose in place of beer.

Use room temperature beer: This helps the bread rise and creates a better texture than cold beer. Don't over-mix: After adding the beer to the dry ingredients, mix enough until just incorporated and nothing more. Overworking the dough will create a very dense loaf.

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Bake the bread for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted about 1/2" into the top of the loaf comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

Uneven heat in your oven can be the culprit – if you loaf is nicely golden on the outside but gummy or moist in the inside, it's baking too quickly on the outside. Trying reducing the temperature you're baking at and bake for a bit longer.

Turn beer bread into toast by topping it with a fried egg, cheese, and Oven Baked Bacon for a delicious open-faced breakfast sandwich. Instead of cornbread, pile Pumpkin Chili on top of a slice of beer bread. Or, dunk your leftovers into some Cheese Fondue.

Does beer bread need to be refrigerated? ›

Store bread bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Freezing Instructions: Bread will freeze well in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw to room temperature before serving or reheat frozen slices in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

FREEZING: You can definitely freeze beer bread. Baked beer bread can be frozen for up to 5-6 months! Cool it completely and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then place it into a freezer container or freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator and microwave a slice for 20-25 seconds for a “warm from the oven” flavour!

Keep in mind, the alcohol evaporates in the baking process, so it is safe for the kids to enjoy as well. Add in cheese if you like, it's not necessary, but it is delicious. Drizzling butter on top helps it have a nice crust. This beer bread comes together in less than 5 minutes and bakes in less than an hour!

Beer for Beer Bread

Although I would recommend staying away from some of the new flavored beers, like lime and orange. I have used Miller Light, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra Light and Boulevard Pale Ale and they have all worked perfectly!

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.

Amber and brown ales tend to be less bitter than the alternatives and feature a nutty flavor. Because of this, these beers are often recommended for caramels, cookies, and pies. Light-colored beers have their place in baking, too. Lagers and Witbiers are used in lighter cakes and cookies.

It's also the phrase you'll find gracing each box of Trader Joe's Beer Bread Mix. The flavor of the finished loaf really depends on what kind of beer you use: Go with a lager for a lighter profile, an IPA for a hearty, hoppy taste, or a stout for a rich result with a slightly darker finished product.

Use a fully flavored beer. I adore IPA in my beer bread. Middle Ground. Amber beers strike a nice balance.