Easy Guinness Beer Bread

This Guinness Beer Bread is a quick and easy no yeast bread. Enjoy with butter, as a side to dip into your favourite soups and chilis, or sliced for sandwiches.

A beer bread recipe without yeast sliced.

If you’re looking for a tasty, easy bread recipe that doesn’t require special equipment or waiting for the yeast to rise, this no yeast beer bread recipe is just what you need.

With just a handful of common pantry ingredients and a bottle of Guinness beer, this easy beer bread has the light, fluffy texture of traditional bread with the ease of sweet bread.

I love making this Guinness beer bread because it’s the quickest and easiest way I know to get that texture of yeast bread, without all the waiting. Most quick bread has a more dense and often sweet flavour as they don’t rise as much but this beer bread recipe without yeast is the exception to that. The yeast in the beer and the carbonation of the beer allows the bread to rise and create a light bread texture.

A loaf of beer bread made without yeast facing forward with one slice off.

The light, fluffy texture and the malty slightly sweet flavour provided by the beer make this a versatile bread. It’s perfect for sandwiches, as a side to soup or chili, toast or anything else you would use bread for.

Though it may have become more popular this year as nearly everyone tried their hand at baking bread, both no yeast quick bread and beer bread have been around for a while.

Quick breads themselves became popular in the 1860s when self-activating baking powder hit the store shelves. That’s around when Irish Soda Bread became popular. Irish Soda bread uses buttermilk as the activating agent to the baking soda.

Someone replaced the buttermilk with beer and easy beer bread was born.

Now we can have delicious bread for soup and sandwiches without kneading, resting or hours in the kitchen. This easy beer bread recipe can be made and enjoyed at the same time as your dinner.

Ingredients for Guiness beer bread.

Ingredients & Substitutions

  • All-purpose flour – Combined with baking powder and salt, this makes the self-activating flour that allows the bread to rise.
  • Baking powder – Works with the yeast in the beer for the bread to rise.
  • Quick oats – Adds a heartiness to the bread and also used for topping.
  • Brown sugar – Adds sweetness to prevent the bread from being bitter and is the food that the yeast in the beer uses to rise.
  • Salt – A flavour enhancer.
  • Molasses – Helps to balance the strong flavour of the beer and add a hint of sweetness and deeper flavour.
  • Unsalted butter – Used in both the dough and basted over the top at the end to help with browning so that the oats will stick to the top.
  • Guinness – The center of this easy beer bread. Substitute your favourite beer if you don’t have Guinness on hand.

How To Make No Yeast Beer Bread

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper.

A bowl of flour, oats, sugar and baking powder.

In a large mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup oats, brown sugar and salt.  Mix to combine.

In a small bowl mix the molasses with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

A bowl of molasses mixed with melted butter.

Add the molasses mixture and the beer to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

No yeast bread dough in a large bowl.

Pour the dough into the prepared loaf pan. Use a spatula to spread it out evenly to all edges and corners.

Baste the bread with the remaining butter, melted, and sprinkle it with the remaining oats.

Bread dough in a loaf pan topped with oats.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the bread comes out clean.

Irish beer bread made with guiness.

How To Store Beer Bread

This Bread can be stored in a tightly sealed container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 3 days or frozen by double wrapping tightly in plastic wrap for up to 2 months.

How Does Beer Bread Rise Without Yeast?

This easy no yeast beer bread rises thanks to the yeast in the beer. When you mix the bread in with the sugar and baking soda, they work together to help the bread rise.

Sugar is the food that feeds the yeast and when consumed it releases a gas which gives rise to the bread dough. This same process is where Champagne made in the traditional method gets it bubbles from.

Beer bread made will molasses sliced beside a bowl of soup.

Can You Use Any Other Beer Brand?

Yes, you can substitute your favourite beer for Guinness in this easy beer bread. Lagers, ports, and honey IPAS would all work great and add unique flavours to your bread. Darker beers will provide a strong and hearty taste while light beers will give the bread a more neutral taste, and any spiced or flavoured beer will also affect the taste.

Why is Guinness great in beer bread?

Guinness is an ideal beer to use in no yeast beer bread because of the rich, savoury flavour. The bread is not savoury but Guinness adds a depth of flavour that is unique.

The beer itself cooks out, along with the beer taste, so if you don’t like Guinness or beer itself – no worries. What you’re left with is a rich slightly malty sweetness without the beer taste. Light beers will give you less flavour and result in a more neutral bread while flavoured beers can be a little too much. Guinness, in my opinion, provides a happy medium.

Try These Other Easy Quick Bread Recipes:

A loaf of beer bread made without yeast facing forward with one slice off.

Easy Guinness Beer Bread

Alisa Infanti | The Delicious Spoon
This Guinness Beer Bread is a quick and easy no yeast beer bread. Ideal for dipping into soups or using for sandwiches.
5 from 6 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Baking
Cuisine British, Irish
Servings 12 slices
Calories 193 kcal

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Loaf Pan
  • Large Bowl
  • Measuring Cups
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Spoon

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1/2 cup +1 tsp rolled oats divided
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted; divided
  • 2 tbsp molasses
  • 14 oz Guinness beer

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray or lightly grease with butter and line with parchment paper.
  • To a large bowl add 3 cups flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup oats.
  • In a small bowl add 2 tbsp of butter, melted and 2 tbsp molasses. Mix to combine.
  • Add the molasses mixture to the dry ingredients along with the beer and mix. The dough should be thick and sticky but not dry. If dry add a little more beer.
  • Pour the dough into the prepared loaf pan and use a spoon or spatula to spread evenly ensuring the dough is tight against the sides and in the corners of the pan.
  • Base the top of the dough with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with a tbsp of oats.
  • Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Enjoy hot out of the oven with butter!

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 193kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 4gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 265mgPotassium: 92mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8g

Notes

Storage:
Store tightly sealed on the counter for up to 3 days.  Or freeze double wrapped tightly for up to 1 month in the freezer.
Please Note:

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Beer bread made with molasses pinterest pin.

For the step-by-step version of this recipe, check out the How to Make Easy Guinness Beer Bread Story.

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10 Comments

    1. Hi Kate, At this point, I don’t see any just the ones you see but if you would like to leave a review after you make the recipe you can be my first!

    1. It is said that using room temperature beer is better but honestly I have done it with cold beer as well and haven’t experienced any issues.

  1. 5 stars
    Oh, wow, this looks delicious. I’m so excited to try it. I’m so excited to see a quick bread without yeast. Sometimes you don’t have enough time for the rising and this is perfect.

  2. 5 stars
    I didn’t realize beer bread was so easy to make! I’m definitely giving this a try for St. Patrick’s Day!

  3. 5 stars
    I hate beer. Like whoa…no beer for me ever. But I do love beer bread! I haven’t made beer bread in years and yours looks so good! THANK YOU!!!

    1. Beer bread actually doesn’t taste beery at all. It seems to take on only the flavour notes of the beer without any hoppiness.

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