Fox and the Buck is a member of Amazon Associates and other affiliate programs. This means that if you make a purchase through one of the links in this post, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Doing this helps fund the creation of more content for Fox and the Buck. Thank you for being here!
This super simple double chocolate beer bread uses 1 bowl, preps in less than 5 minutes, and is done is an hour. What are you waiting for?
I’m on a beer bread journey. I recently discovered the joys of this magical one bowl bread and can’t stop tweaking it! The first version I made was cheddar chive, then I made apple cinnamon, and now I’m diving head first into this chocolatey goodness.
Just like most things in life, I love a little variety here and there. While savory bread is amazing with soups and chili, sometimes a girl wants a sweeter bread.
The Process
I had to do a little research to figure out how to add cocoa powder without affecting the recipe. It turns out most cocoa powders can be subbed basically 1:1 for flour, so that’s what I tried. I subtracted 2/3 cup of flour and replaced it with the same amount of cocoa powder. It was perfect! I’m not sure if it would be as simple with a more complex baking recipe, but for this bread it did the trick.
The beer was the next challenge for me. Guinness is the easiest option for a flavor profile like this, but I wanted to try something a little more exciting. I found a chocolate stout by Magic Hat that was amazing! It’s most likely a seasonal beer, so make sure you have back up options in mind when going to the store. Left Hand Milk Stout is delicious (as are lots of other stouts).
In the version I photographed for this post, I went a little wild and used a PBR coffee beer! It was only 10 oz, though, so I added some actual brewed coffee to make up the difference and it was delicious. A very risky move, but the ROI was worth it.
Anyone who bakes on even a semi-regular basis knows that coffee accentuates the flavors of chocolate, so using it probably enhanced the chocolatey-ness of the bread even more! I highly recommend adding a splash when you make this recipe. Luckily I survive on caffeine these days so I had some of my favorite coffee freshly brewed already!
For the chocolate chips in this double chocolate beer bread, I only had fancy baker’s chocolate (I know, devastating😉) . I roughly chopped about half of them, and tossed the other half in whole. They’re bigger than normal chocolate chips so I wanted to spread them out a little more.
The Results
My non-sweets eating husband loved it, my 2 year old cried when I said she couldn’t have a second slice, and I had to use all my self control not to eat the whole loaf in one day. It’s the perfect I-want-something-sweet-but-not-too-sweet-and-kinda-buttery-too treat.
Did you make this amazing double chocolate beer bread? Let me know how you liked it in the comments!
Chocolatey Yeast Free Beer Bread
Notes
For this recipe, I’ve used a chocolate stout, a milk stout, and a coffee beer (pictured). All of them work well! The type of beer you use does impact the taste, so choose wisely. If you’re not in to the beers above, I suggest Guinness as a neutral option.
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 6 tbsp cold butter, divided
- 1/4 cup agave (or honey)
- 1 12oz beer of your choice (see notes)
- 1-2 tbsp brewed coffee (optional)
- 1/2 chocolate chips
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven. Set to 350F
- Grease a 9×5″ loaf pan. Set aside.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder to a large mixing bowl. Sift them into the bowl. Whisk together to combine.
- Mix in wet ingredients. Next add agave, beer, coffee, and chocolate chips into the dry ingredients and mix until dough forms.
- Pour dough into loaf pan. Press out the dough so its touching all edges of the pan.
- Add cold butter. Cut the butter in to 8 even pats and place on top of the dough.
- IMPORTANT Place the loaf pan on a cookie sheet in the oven to avoid butter spilling over the sides as it rises!
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.
