This sourdough beer bread recipe is simple, quick, and sure to become your favorite. With its rich flavor and just 7 simple ingredients, this quick bread uses beer instead of water for a unique depth of flavor.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase. Please read our disclosure policy.

a sliced loaf of sourdough beer bread and a brown bottle of beer

My sourdough love continues to grow with each bite and bake I make.

After all, good things come to those who wait. The rewards of long-fermented bread are in its flavor, texture, and added health benefits. Putting my hands to work with the dough is therapeutic, stress-releasing, and life-giving for my soul. If that wasn’t enough, there are the rewards of a hearty slice of artisan sourdough bread…slathered in butter, the obvious way to enjoy bread. Its chewiness and long fermented flavor can’t be beat.

But real life doesn’t always allow enough time for sourdough’s long fermentation process. What to do?

Making sourodugh bread with beer is the solution! It’s simple and delicious. The bread mixes in just minutes without any sets of stretch and folds, a stand mixer, or baking in a Dutch oven.

Why You’ll Love Sourdough Discard Beer Bread Recipe

Quick – Sourdough Beer Bread is a quick bread that uses baking powder for its leavening, coming together in minutes before baking in the oven.
Flavor – Sourdough discard beer bread is a well-balanced bread. Sweet and salty, with a soft texture and a crunchy top. Beer and bread share a unique relationship through familiar scents, flavors, and ingredients. The sourdough fermentation process gives bread a faint beer-like scent, which explains why beer is often called liquid bread. Not a fan of beer? Me either, but I’ll gladly gobble up a slice of sourdough beer bread!
Sourdough Starter – Make use of sourdough discard so it doesn’t go to waste. Because of all the air in a bubbly starter, be sure to measure by weight instead of volume if using an active starter.
Versatile – There isn’t a wrong kind of beer to use when making this type of bread! It’s delicious whether you use a niche craft beer or a mainstream beer found in all major stores.

baked sourdough beer bread in a loaf pan

How to Make Sourdough Beer Bread Overview

Prep

Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C.
Line a 9X5 loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper, or grease and dust it with flour.

Mix

In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients. Break up the sourdough discard with half of the beer before adding it to the dry ingredients with the rest of the beer.

Mixing sourdough discard and a small amount of beer in a medium size bowl

mixing beer into the dry ingredients in a glass bowl

Bake

Brush the top of the bread with melted butter, sprinkle with salt, and bake for 60-65 minutes.
Remove the bread from the pan and place it onto a wire rack to cool.

brushing melted butter over the top of sourdough beer bread in a loaf pan

FAQs

How to Store Sourdough Beer Bread

Allow the bread to cool completely before placing it into an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. To freeze, allow to cool completely before wrapping in a few layers of plastic wrap and placing into a freezer plastic bag. Label with the name and date, and place into the freezer. For the best flavor and texture, use within 3 months.

how to choose the best beer for sourdough beer bread baking

Because using a different type of beer in the recipe will impact the flavor of the bread, a good place to start is with your favorite beer. However, if you’re not a beer drinker like me, you may be asking yourself, what type of beer should I use to make beer bread?

There are many beers to choose from, ranging from light and mild in flavor to dark beers that are almost black. Light beers have the mildest flavor and will create a mild flavor in the bread. Further down the spectrum is a pale ale, still light, but with a more hoppy flavor compared to its darker counterpart, an amber or brown ale. At the furthest end of the spectrum are stouts, the darkest of them all.

Have a favorite craft beer? Then use it! Ultimately, the best type of beer will depend on your personal preference, and experimenting with different beers is the best way to find which flavor profile you enjoy the most.

two slices of beer bread using different types of beer on a wooden cutting board.

Here are two slices of sourdough beer bread made with different types of beer: Guinness beer on the left and a winter ale on the right. With only slight color differences, the real distinction comes in flavor. The dark beer sourdough beer bread is just a bit less sweet compared to the other, but we only notice the subtleties when eating the bread side by side.

What type of flour should I use to make sourdough beer bread?

For best results, I recommend using all-purpose flour and adding the leaveners separately. It’s widely used to make beer bread as the ingredients are easy to source. However, some recipes call for self-rising flour, a flour blend that contains these leavening agents. I wouldn’t suggest bread flour, as it gives the bread a chewier texture. If you experiment with whole wheat flour, it’ll change the density of the bread since it absorbs liquid differently.

What are the differences between sourdough beer bread and traditional sourdough bread?

Traditional sourdough bread and sourdough beer bread are two different types of bread. The first is made with active sourdough starter and relies on the fermentation process for its leavening power. The other is a quick bread that utilizes sourdough discard and incorporates baking powder, as well as the carbon dioxide within the beer, to achieve volume.

The process for making traditional sourdough bread is more time-consuming, involving multiple steps. Stretches and folds for gluten development and an extended bulk fermentation period before it’s shaped into a freeform loaf.

In contrast, sourdough beer bread mixes in just a few minutes before pouring into a loaf pan and baking. The bread gets its rise from the beer reacting with the baking powder.

How to Serve Beer Bread

As a side with soups, salads, or pasta
Sandwiches
Makes excellent toast with jam or butter
Cube the bread and use in dips and spreads
French toast
Cube and toast with olive oil and seasoning to make croutons

Tips

Don’t overmix the batter, or you risk deflating the bread’s airiness.
Use recently fed sourdough discard for a mild sour flavor in the bread. Any longer than a week gives the bread a strong sour flavor.
Use melted butter for a crispy top or skip it for a softer crust.
Omit the baking powder and salt if using self-rising flour, keeping the same amount in the recipe.
Room temperature beer rises better than cold beer.

sourdough beer bread with flaky salt in a metal loaf pan

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you gave it 5 stars! Thank you! Tag me on Instagram @LockremHomestead.

Sourdough Beer Bread

Leisha Lockrem

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Course breads

Servings

Calories 166.9 kcal

Want to Save This Recipe?

Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Lockrem Homestead

Equipment

2 mixing bowls
1 whisk or fork
digital kitchen scale
1 9X5 loaf pan
parchment paper optional

Ingredients

375 g all-purpose flour 3 cups
100 g sugar ½ cup
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
125 g sourdough discard
12 oz beer
14 g unsalted butter optional
½ tsp flaky salt optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C.
Line a 9X5 loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper, or grease and dust it with flour.
Melt 14 g unsalted butter and set it aside (optional).
In a large bowl, whisk 375 g all-purpose flour, 1 T baking powder, 100 g sugar, and 1 tsp salt until well combined.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, add 125 g sourdough discard and half of the 12 oz beer. Use a fork or whisk to break up the sourdough starter and mix it into the beer.
Pour the discard and beer mixture into the dry ingredients with the remaining beer. Stir until just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Pour the sourdough beer bread batter into the parchment-lined pan. Brush the melted butter over the top of the dough with a pastry brush and sprinkle with ½ tsp flaky salt .
Bake for 60-65 minutes. The bread is done when the top is golden brown, and the internal temperature reaches 190F/C
Remove the bread from the pan and place it onto a wire rack to cool.