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This deliciously simple yeast free beer bread takes just 5 minutes to put together and less than an hour to bake! Its on repeat as a favorite in our home.
Hello my name is Victoria and I love carbs. Especially bread. But I don’t love baking it – who has 3 hours to bake a loaf of bread? Not me!
I’ve been making a simple yeast free beer bread for a few years to pair with soups and my chili. (You can find my OG recipe here.) Recently though, I decided to try making a sweeter version of it. I really wanted a nice apple flavor, but cooking down apple is a pain! Plus it and totally takes away from the easy factor of this bread. I landed on shredding one, which makes the pieces small enough that they’ll cook right along with the bread and add a delicious little twist!
Recipe Notes
The first time I made this bread I used a hard cider and it came out great! I have also used fruity beers with equally yummy results. This recipe is unique in that the beer serves multiple purposes. It serves as a liquid obviously, but the carbonation also helps give the bread body. The flavor has a surprising impact on the overall taste of the bread. A hoppy beer leaves a very… hoppy aftertaste while a light beer kind of just disappears into the mix. Use this as a benchmark when deciding what beer or cider to use while making this recipe; it will help you avoid using the wrong one!
How To
When I say this bread comes together in 5 minutes… it doesn’t even take that long. The hardest part is shredding the apple! (Which isn’t hard if you have a box grater.) PS – in an earlier version of this bread I tried to use my stand mixer attachment and the apple didn’t cook through all the way. This would have been the easiest, but no dice.
Grab a large mixing bowl and add the dry ingredients first. I will either sift them or quickly mix them together. Then I add the honey/agave, beer, and shredded apple. Combine all the ingredients together until dough forms. Make sure the apple is evenly distributed throughout the dough! Then, dump the dough into a greased loaf pan and press it out so it touches all edges. This dough will be fairly firm and there will probably be little pockets of air along the sides. I have never made a special effort to pack the dough down tight and its always been fine. Cut your COLD butter into 8 pats and lay them evenly on top of the loaf. This is what makes such a delicious crust!
Here’s the important part: put a baking sheet underneath your loaf pan in the oven!! Every time I’ve forgotten, the butter drips and makes a big smokey mess. Please, don’t learn this the hard way.
Let that lil loaf bake for 50-60 minutes until its nice and golden brown. Take it out of the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes. I pop it out of the pan at that point and let it finish cooling on a drying rack. It keeps for longer this way and is easier to slice.
This apple cinnamon bread is just so good on its own. I toast mine with a little butter and cinnamon sugar and mmm I could eat the whole loaf.
Let me know how you enjoyed it in the comments! Did you use a beer or cider that made it extra delicious?
Apple Cinnamon Beer Bread
Notes
For this recipe I use a fruity ale (Two Roads Peach Jam) but have also used hard ciders. Either one tastes amazing! You can also use a regular light beer, but the flavor won’t be as stand-out. For the apple I used Pink Lady, but really any semi-sweet apple will do. Shredding it using a tower grater allows the apple to cook through without adding an extra step.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp apple pie spice
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 red apple, shredded
- 1 12oz fruity beer OR hard cider
- 1/4 cup honey
- 6 tbsp cold butter, divided
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 and grease a 9×5 loaf pan
- In a mixing bowl combine flour, apple pie spice, baking powder and salt
- Add shredded apple, beer, and honey and mix until dough forms
- Pour dough into greased loaf pan and shape until its touching all sides.
- Divide the butter into 8 equal pats and lay them on top of the dough.
- Place the loaf pan on to a rimmed baking sheet (*important*) and put in the oven for 50-55 mins, or until a toothpick comes out dry.
- Remove from loaf pan and let cool on a rack – store in an air tight container or bag for best quality.
