No-knead Beer Cheese Bread: easy savory and made for soup
This no-knead beer cheese bread is so rich and savory with the complex flavors of beer, cheddar, honey, whole wheat and tender buttermilk in an easy to make country loaf you can make in one bowl.
This bread is absolutely perfect for dunking in soup or toasted up as a base for sandwiches with its wonderful warm dark flavors. This bread is coziness in a slice.
| Active time | Total time | Yield | Difficulty |
| 10 min | 2 hr 45 min | 2 loaves | Easy |
I struggled with what to call this bread as it is neither a quick beer bread like my hot honey beer bread nor a sourdough beer bread. Really, this bread is something in between–a yeast bread that has more structure than the standard beer bread but one you can make in much less time than a sourdough version.
People, it’s a crying shame we don’t use more beer in yeast breads. Beer lends so much good rich deep flavor to yeast breads that’s perfectly pairs with whole grains. One of my favorite bread recipes of all time is a rye made with beer. The beer both softens the sour edge of the rye and adds a complexity that reminds you that rye bread is eaten in places where people love beer too.
Why we should use more beer in yeast breads
- Flavor: The grains and hops in beer pair perfectly with whole grains like rye and whole wheat.
- Color: Darker beers like Guinness, bock, or dark lager add more caramel color to a loaf, adding more rich color to the final loaf.
- Fragrance: Beer being yeasty already adds an extra layer of enticing smell to baking bread.
- Food pairing: Just like there are wines for every kind of food, there are things we bake that lend themselves to going with beer. A beer bread will obviously taste best with the beer that it was made with. If you have a stinky cheese that tastes amazing with beer like Limburger, serve it alongside a slice of this bread!
Why you’ll save a can of beer just to make this bread
- One-bowl: I didn’t use 1 bowl, but truly you can here. This bread can entirely be made in one bowl without any fuss whatsoever. If you’re new to making yeast breads, or you don’t have time in your day to obsess over making bread, this recipe has you covered.
- So. Much. Flavor.: This is a “flavor your food like you mean it” kind of recipe. The complex flavors of savory from the cheese, richness from buttermilk and butter, and warm flavors from the beer and whole wheat balanced with a little sweetness from the honey are alluring. This bread will make literally the best grilled cheese of all time.
- No Dutch oven needed: This un-sourdough bread has you shaping the dough quickly into two round loaves. Unlike other no-knead breads there’s no need for a Dutch oven that you need to preheat for forever. Here we bake it on a sheet tray and call it a day. If your baking kit is small, you can still make this bread.
- Actually easy: Other than rubbing the butter into the flour, you really only need to stir the dough together. Time will develop the gluten stands in the dough for structure, and the yeast will make it rise quickly enough that you won’t have to wait around all day for that to happen. All total, you’re probably messing around with this bread for 10 minutes. The rest of the time is entirely passive.
Ingredients for Beer Cheese Bread
- Warm water
- Honey: balances any bitterness from the whole wheat and beer
- Instant yeast or active dry
- All-purpose flour
- Butter: adds richness and tenderness to the loaves
- Beer, preferably a flavorful dark beer like Guinness, bock, or a dark lager
- Buttermilk: adds more flavor, richness, tenderness, and compliments the cheddar
- Salt
- Whole wheat flour
- Grated cheddar cheese
Equipment needed
- 1/2 sheet pan
- parchment
- bench scraper or sharp knife
- flexible dough scraper or spatula
This bread is really meant for cheddar. Use what you have, but the cheddar will give your bread lovely orange flecks in the final loaf. I used a double gloucester/stilton cheese I found–you don’t need anything this fancy, but I saw it and it jumped in my cart as nice cheese sometimes does.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Beer Cheese Bread
- Make the dough: Combine the yeast, honey, and water in the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Dump in the all-purpose flour, rubbing the butter into the flour. Add in the whole wheat flour, salt, and the buttermilk and beer. Stir everything about 50 times to help develop the gluten in the dough.
- Fold in the cheese: Fold the cheese into the dough, scraping under the dough with a dough scraper or spatula and folding the dough over itself to incorporate the cheese throughout the dough.
- First rise: Cover the dough to rise for about 1 hour after which the dough will be visibly puffy.
- Shape the loaves: Working on a floured surface, divide the dough in half and quickly shape each piece into a simple round loaf. Cut a cross in the top of each loaf with a sharp knife or a bench scraper . Set the loaves on a parchment -lined baking sheet.
- Second rise: Cover the loaves to rise for 1 more hour.
- Bake: Bake the loaves at 375 F (190 C) for 35-40 minutes until the loaves are nicely browned and the tops sound hollow when you tap them with your knuckles. Cool completely before slicing.
Storing and freezing your no-knead beer cheese bread
Storing: Store this bread wrapped in foil, beeswax wrap, or a linen bag for up to 3 days. If you want, you can dry the bread out purposely by cutting it in slices and setting them in a 200 F oven until the outsides are crisp. Cheese rusks like this will last basically indefinitely if they’re kept dry and taste incredible added to soups and stews.
Freezing: Wrap whole loaves well in plastic wrap and then place the wrapped loaf in a plastic bag for freezing up to 3 months. You can also freeze individual slices. Slice the loaf, then freeze slices for 2 hours just to firm up. Place the slices back together and wrap the loaf well. Individual frozen slices are perfect for popping in the toaster for a delicious breakfast sandwich (just add cheese, a fried egg, and sausage or bacon).
Tips for making the best beer cheese bread
- Warm the beer and buttermilk: A few seconds in the microwave will take off the fridge chill from the beer and the buttermilk. It’s not necessary to warm either all the way up to 105-115 degrees since you’re already dissolving the yeast in warm water, but if these liquids are coming straight from the fridge, the rise will slow down a little.
- Cut a cross in the top of your loaves: Cutting a cross in the tops of the loaves controls the expansion of the bread in the oven. Without it, the bread won’t rise as well, bake as evenly and can create random steam vents in strange places on your loaf.
- Wait to cut this bread: The worst part of making bread is waiting for it to cool, but truly, if you cut your bread before it has cooled completely, you absolutely deserve the gummy crumb disaster you get when you cut into hot bread. This is especially true here since this is a fairly high-hydration dough with gooeyness from the cheese. Walk away from the siren call of the bread and let it cool!
What to serve with beer cheese bread
- Butter, and plenty of it.
- Chili
- Soups, stews (my favorite Czech goulash would be incredible)
- Toasted, as a base for sandwiches
- With cheese and charcuterie
- Make it into grilled cheese.
- With corned beef and cabbage, perfect for St. Patrick’s!
No-knead Beer Cheese Bread
- Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves, about 12 slices each 1x
Description
A one-bowl yeast bread made with the richness of buttermilk and butter, the savory edge of cheddar, and the complexity of dark beer to create easy to make country loaves that are perfect for dunking in soup or making the world’s best grilled cheese sandwich.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup warm water (59 mL)
- 2 Tablespoons honey (42 g)
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry
- 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (325 g)
- 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature (57 g)
- 12 ounces beer, preferably a flavorful dark beer like Guinness (354 mL)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk (118 mL)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole wheat flour (260 g)
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (113 g)
Instructions
Make the dough
- Pour the water into the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Add in the honey and yeast, whisking to dissolve the yeast.
- Measure in the all-purpose flour and butter. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour, breaking up the butter into small pieces. It should look crumbly when you’re done.
- Zap the beer and buttermilk in the microwave for about 15 seconds just to take off the chill of the fridge.
- Pour over the beer and buttermilk, and then add the salt and whole wheat flour.
- Stir to combine everything with a wooden spoon about 50 times in one direction. This will help develop the gluten in this sticky dough.
- Use a spatula or a dough scraper to fold the cheese into the dough. Scrape under the dough to fold it over on itself a few times, making sure that the cheese can be seen throughout the dough easily.
- Cover the dough to rise for 1 hour.
Scrape under the dough to fold it over on itself a few times, making sure that the cheese can be seen throughout the dough easily.Shaping the loaves and second rising
- Line 1 sheet tray with parchment . Scrape the dough onto a well-floured counter. Divide the dough into 2 pieces.
- Quickly shape the dough into 2 round loaves, folding the sides under the loaf to create the shape and then rotating your hands around the dough against the counter to smooth the sides into a round loaf.
- Use a bench scraper or a sharp knife to create a cross in the center of each loaf about 1/4” deep. This will help the dough keep its shape and get a better rise in the oven.
- Cover the loaves with a clean towel or oiled plastic wrap to rise for one more hour.
Bake the bread
- Towards the end of the second rising time, preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C).
- Bake the loaves for 35-40 minutes until the loaves are well-browned and they sound hollow when you wrap on the tops.
- Let the bread cool completely before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- + 2 hours rising time:
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Breads
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
