Gluten free beer bread is easy and ahhhmazingly delicious! There is something about the aroma of yeast and beer, baking together in a bread machine or in your oven, into a super-soft loaf of gluten free bread. It’ll just make you crave a good sandwich: peanut butter & jelly, potato salad, BLT … it doesn’t matter. Truth be told, I eat it plain. It’s that good.
Baking this gluten free beer bread will get all kinds of delicious sandwich-making juices flowing!
You may be surprised to learn that there is such as thing as safe, naturally gluten free beer. There is a whole category of it now, made from gluten free grains like sorghum, millet, rice, buckwheat and even chestnuts! Stay away from gluten removed or gluten reduced beers though. Find out more on how to tell the difference and why one is safe and one’s safety is unclear at best and unsafe at worse in my article on gluten free alcohols.
Choosing the right gluten free beer for this bread is the fun part (consult my gluten free beer tasting notes to find one that suits your taste!) since it lends a flavor to this white bread that makes it unique every time. The effervescence of the beer also helps give this bread beautiful lift, and creates a light, airy structure that is truly wonderful.
Of course if you’d prefer to skip the beer, you always have the option of using club soda or sparkling water or even ginger ale in place of the bubbly brew. Whatever liquid you choose will alter the taste of the baked bread, so experiment and find the one that suits you.
This gluten free beer bread recipe is so versatile that it can also be baked into gluten free dinner rolls or even hamburger buns! Bake in the oven or in a bread machine. Yes, you can bake this recipe in a bread machine (but you don’t have to)! Find out my favorite machines in my bread machine reviews article!
Try my easy and reliable (voted #1 gluten free bread mix several years in a row) gfJules Sandwich Bread Mix in this recipe to get to bread baking nirvana even faster, or choose to just use my award-winning gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour — so many options!
What’s not an option is using any old other gluten free flour blend. They’re simply not interchangeable. Find out all about gluten free flours — individual and blends — and why using another flour or blend will lead to different results.
You do want a light and fluffy, not gritty, not funky tasting and not brick-like loaf of bread, right? (That’s a rhetorical question. If you don’t, you’re already in the wrong place.) So follow the recipe as written and enjoy amazing gluten free bread in 2 hours’ time. See, now that’s easy.
Gluten Free Beer Bread Recipe
Gluten free beer bread is such a simple pleasure no one should have to go without, now that we have soft, light, wonderful and reliable gluten free flour and naturally gluten free beers to choose from!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
OR
- 3 cups gfJules™ All Purpose Flour (405 grams)
- 1/4 cup dry milk powder/non-dairy milk powder (coconut milk powder 27 grams) OR almond meal (44 grams) OR plain GF potato flakes (16 grams)
- 1 tsp. sea salt (5 grams)
- 1 Tbs. granulated cane sugar (16 grams)
PLUS
- 10 oz. gluten free beer (I especially like Green’s or Glutenberg in this recipe) or sparkling water, club soda or ginger ale – room temperature
- 3 large eggs — room temperature or substitute
- 3 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbs. honey or agave nectar
- 2 1/4 tsp. (one packet) rapid rise or bread machine yeast (Red Star® Quick Rise)
- sesame seeds, poppy seeds or other topping of choice (optional)
Instructions
Prepare a regular loaf pan (at least 9×5) by oiling it well. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, apple cider vinegar and honey.
In another large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients except yeast (flour, salt, milk powder and sugar). With mixer on low speed, slowly pour the dry ingredients into the liquids to combine.
Continue beating while slowly pouring in the beer to mix. Once incorporated, add the yeast. Beat until the batter is smooth, then increase mixing speed and beat for 4 minutes.
Pour batter into oiled pan, filling no more than half-way up.
Cover with oiled wax paper or parchment and let rise in a warm, moist place for at least 30 minutes (an oven preheated to 200 F, then turned off, with a bowl of water in the oven to add moisture, is a good option). Do not let the bread rise over the side of the pan, or it will rise too much to support itself and may collapse when cooling.
Once the bread has risen, lightly brush with oil to help it brown, then sprinkle any toppings on at this point.
Preheat the oven to 375º F (static) or 350º F (convection). Bake for approximately 35 minutes. The internal temperature of the bread should be approximately 205 – 210º F. The loaf should have risen above the top of the pan, and will be golden brown with a nice crust.
Remove to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, laying it on one side, then the other to help support it as it cools. Then gently remove the loaf from the pan to finish cooling on a wire rack.
Cut only when fully cooled. Store in a sealed ziptop bag on the counter – do not refrigerate, or it will dry the bread out.
*If using a bread machine, bring all ingredients to room temperature. Add liquids to the pan first, then the dry ingredients, followed by the yeast, pouring into a small well made in the middle with your finger. Use the gluten-free 2lb loaf setting. For more information on baking in a bread maker, see my article on gluten free breads in bread machines.
Bake in a bread machine or oven – this bread rises high either way!
Nutrition Information
Yield
16Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 95Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 36mgSodium 187mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 1gSugar 7gProtein 3g
Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
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Based on 37 Review(s)
Holy Wow was this good! We doubled the recipe to make two and it still came out perfect.
Gorgeous gluten free beer bread, Debbie!! Thanks so much for sharing the photo — I can almost smell the deliciousness from here!!!!
~jules
I love this recipe and always use my bread machine but every loaf was collapsing to some degree during the baking cycle. I added 4 teaspoons of psyllium husk powder to the original recipe and now I have beautiful rounded loaves, no more collapsing. I hope this might be useful information for anyone else having a similar problem.
Thanks so much for sharing that tip for your bread machine issues, Susie!! So happy you have beautiful loaves now!!!!
~jules
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us! Since discovering your flour and mixes, I have been able to make all the things we thought we’d lost forever! Here is a picture of my version of your gf beer bread made with ginger ale and topped with bagel seasoning mix!
Oh Carla, that is a beauty!!!! And thanks so much for letting me know that you’re able to make your old favorites again now that you’ve found my gfJules Flour and mixes — hearing that absolutely makes my day! That’s what it’s all about. You shouldn’t have to go without or to have to find new recipes for things — you should be able to enjoy all your family recipes and favorite foods again, gluten free. I’m happy my products have helped make that possible for you!!!!!
~jules
If using a bread machine do you beat the eggs and wet ingredients together like for the oven method? Or just add the eggs in without beating them?
Hi Sam, you could beat the eggs together with the wet ingredients before adding, or when you add to the bread machine pan, whisk together in the pan before adding the dry ingredients. I would definitely mix the eggs somehow before adding the dry ingredients.
Enjoy!
~jules
Hi, using your flour and the GF Beer Bread, very happy with the the results.
When mixing, the batter was quite stiff. It was sticking to the blender and hard to mix. It clung too the blender and didn’t want to fling off at speed.
I used root beer, carefully measured the liquid and using a scale to weigh out the flour.
The resulting mixed batter had to be pushing into the pan.
Would adding more liquid be a good idea, or would that compromise rise / airy results? Thanks
Hi Mark, so glad you’re pleased with the results! Your description of the stickiness of the batter is odd; it’s usually much thinner batter, but if the results are good, I wouldn’t mess with the recipe by adding more liquid, as that will throw off the ratios. I have not made this recipe with root beer, so perhaps that was the difference? Were you using a hand mixer? Hand mixers and yeast doughs usually don’t work well and batters/doughs do tend to “crawl” up the beaters, but again, whatever you did — if you like the baked out results — I wouldn’t mess with anything!!!
~jules
Good bread! It rose well before I baked it, but didn’t rise any more. Any suggestions?
Hi Terri, thanks for sharing the pic — it always helps! Glad that the bread tasted good, as that’s the most important part!
A couple things:
1) Corona is not gluten free. Check out my gluten free beer tasting notes for more information on which beers are safe on a gluten free diet.
2) did it rise and then sink or did it rise and then just not rise any more?
3) did you divide the dough into two pans or double the recipe?
4) what was the crumb like (was it dense or was it nice inside, just didn’t rise very high)?
5) did you substitute any ingredients (flour, eggs, yeast, etc)?
Ok – probably enough questions for now! You can also review my main gluten free bread baking tips in my article for even more pointers for next time!
~jules
1. Thanks. We’re gluten- light, not necessarily GF
2. It didn’t sink. Just didn’t rise any more in the oven
3. Divided the dough. Filled one pan to the brim- too much
4. The crumb was nice, lots of air. Hubby said it was the best texture I’ve ever made!
5. Only difference was using King Arthur GF flour.
6. What if I used sourdough starter for the leaven? And baked it in a Dutch oven?
Thanks so much. It’s already the beat GF bread I e ever made!
Ps. Thinking about using raspberry beer next time!
Terri
Hi Terri, thanks for the added info. So, when you reduce the amount of batter/dough volume in the pan, it won’t rise as much and it won’t be as pretty, but good that the crumb was still good and it didn’t sink. The biggest issue here was likely that you used a different gluten free flour blend since all blends are so totally different. It’s really quite unlike the world of gluten baking where one all purpose flour is just like another. Have a look at this article on gluten free flour blends and you’ll see what I mean. I’d love for you to do an experiment and try it with my gfJules Flour and don’t make any other changes just to see the difference and see whether you and your husband are even happier. It’s all personal preference, obviously, but the breads pictured are all made with my gfJules Blend and it’s designed to help the breads rise light and high. Regarding the sourdough you can absolutely do that — have you see my gluten free sourdough recipe? I might try supplementing the yeast with sourdough starter at first, rather than a full substitution, but it’s really up to you. Dutch ovens are great too, especially for a different crust style. Keep me posted on your experimenting!! I love the art of the bake!
~jules
So I made it again. Used your flour, same beer. Same everything else. I only mixed the batter 2 minutes, instead of 4. Seemed like it was making the beer flat. The dough was thicker, had to spoon it into the pan. Had some leftover so made a few mini- muffins. Crumb really light and fluffy.
Thanks so much! Bread just great!
Here it is.
WOW! That IS light and fluffy!!!!! I can almost smell that gluten free beer bread aroma from here! It looks so good, Terri! Thanks so much for posting pics and letting me know about your experimenting! YAY – here’s to great gluten free bread!
~jules
I would love to buy your flour. It sounds fabulous. But, I have a histamine intolerance problem (MCAs) and cannot tolerate xanthan gum, guar gum or psyllium husk. Do you have any recommendations of what I can use for a binder when I make GF bread or other GF baked products? Or do you have another flour that does not include the above ingredients?
Hi Chris – there’s a new product out that is worth a try. It’s from Better Batter and it’s a gum free blend. I don’t think it’s a perfect 1:1 in all recipes, but they tout it for yeast breads. I hope it works out for you!
~jules
Great recipe! My wife just made one with beer a d one with club side, both tasted great. Do you happen to have the nutritional info for this recipe?
Hi Rob, I’m thrilled you both loved this gluten free beer bread recipe so much! I’ll post the nutritional information for you now, but note that it will differ markedly depending on what liquid you use (sparkling water adds no calories, for example, while beer does!) and other flour ingredients, whether you use eggs or substitute, etc. But either way, just glad you found a great gluten free bread recipe you love!
~jules
Every time I make this in my bread machine the top caves in about an hour before it’s done baking. I weigh the ingredients and the only substitution I make is that I use ginger ale instead of beer. It still tastes fabulous but I can’t figure out why it collapses. Any suggestions?
Hi Susie, that sounds a bit odd for the caving to occur during the bake. It happens and then doesn’t rectify itself later? Is the bread cooked through, just caved? Are you taking the internal temperature of the bread when it’s done baking (it should reach 205F). If all the ingredients are weighed properly and you’re not making any ingredient substitutions and it’s 205F, my guess is that there is something up with the bread machine itself — perhaps the seal on the door, even? The bread machine is really just a miniature oven, so if the door isn’t closed to your oven properly, the heat will escape and it won’t properly cook, even causing sinking. It is odd that it sinks during the bake, but I want to know more details. So glad that it still tastes fabulous, though!!!
~jules
Thanks for the reply. It starts to cave about 10 minutes into the bake setting and does not rectify, just stays caved in. I do take it’s temperature when it’s done and it is 205F. It is cooked through when it’s done. I’ll contact Hamilton Beach to see if they can replace the machine as it’s just a couple of months old.
Thanks again for the help.
Susie
Update: My husband reminded me that the lid fell off of the machine (!) while removing my first loaf. I thought that may cause it to not seal properly when in use. I asked a friend who is a baker by trade about the caving in and she agreed with you about the seal on the lid. She also said to try adding 2 more tablespoons of flour and push down harder on the lid to be sure it’s sealed. So, this morning I tried again and the loaf was perfect! I did contact Hamilton Beach about the lid as it fell off again today while removing the pan, yikes, it’s really hot!
Thanks again for your help and for all of the delicious recipes.
Phew! What a relief to know we’ve gotten to the root of the problem! I’m so glad to hear it and to know it’s a simple fix! Also glad you contacted the bread machine manufacturer. Be careful not to burn yourself — I can imagine that lid would be extremely hot! Hamilton-Beach needs to know there may be a manufacturing defect there, but in the meantime, GREAT GLUTEN FREE BREAD!!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know how it all worked out!!!
~jules
Hi there,
Your gf beer bread looks great but unfortunately we can’t buy your flour mix here in Australia. Is there a recipe for the flour mix that I could make up instead? Any suggestions would be great.
Cheers Dee
Hi Dee, I know it’s hard with international shipping, but we actually DO ship to Australia! It can be pricey, as international shipping is, of course, but you would just put your address in at checkout and the price would be configured by weight and your address. From what I understand, the first 5 or so pounds are the priciest, so the more you add thereafter, the incremental shipping cost doesn’t go up that much after that.
The other option is that there is a shop in Singapore that buys my products and ships; it’s a lot closer, obviously, so the cost should be a lot less. It’s called https://glutenfreesg.com/
The other option is to check out this article on gluten free flours and to mix up a batch of flour that will work in my recipes; it’s not going to be the same, of course, but it should work well enough for you to be able to still use my recipes. I hope one of these options helps you, Dee!
~jules
I’d like to make this in my cast iron Dutch oven w/lid. What time/temp?
Hi Bev, that’s a great question! I haven’t made this recipe in a Dutch oven with the lid on yet. I would say the best bet would be to follow the directions for baking a loaf that came with the Dutch oven or if you have another recipe for bread using a similar amount of flour that you’ve had success with. Recipes I’ve seen have recommended 450F for 45 minutes. That is as good a place to start as any! (Preheat the Dutch oven first, of course). Remember not to follow all the directions about proofing and punching down the dough that usually come with Dutch oven recipes for gluten containing dough — just follow my recipe and use the Dutch oven to bake, so preheat the Dutch oven while the dough is rising and transfer the dough to the preheated Dutch oven when it’s done rising. Hope that helps! I’m eager to hear how it turns out!!
~jules
“You do want a light and fluffy, not gritty, not funky tasting and not brick-like loaf of bread, right?”
Considering that almost all celiacs test much higher for levels of arsenic, and still remain arguably malnourished due to poor quality gluten free substitutes, perhaps it would be far more valuable to focus on a healthy blend rather than a 90% rice based blend of empty calories. Your whole site centralizes around gluten free cooking, yet so few recipes contain any actual nutritional content. Maybe it’s worth sacrificing some pristine fluffiness for a few grams of magnesium and protein.
Hi, thanks for your comment. My gfJules blend is notable in that it’s NOT a rice-based blend like most gluten free blends on the market. THat’s one reason why things do bake up so light and fluffy and do not hav any grittiness.
We are also now going back and adding nutritional content starting this week, as we have just secured the software to be able to offer that to my readers.
As for sacrificing fluffiness, I’m not interested in sacrificing anything in the quality of the baked goods that my products and recipes produce, and I don’t think my readers and customers should have to, either. Nor I advocate for anyone to live off of cake and cookies. There are plenty of opportunities in a day to get the nutrients we need from eating a diet rich in whole foods, and when we want a cookie, slice of cake or a dinner roll, we deserve to have the best tasting one around.
~jules
I’ve made this bread 4 or 5 times now, each time with your all purpose flour and carbonated water. It always tastes fantastic and has a good rise, but the sides always seem to collapse inwards when I take it out of the oven to cool. I’ve tried laying it on its sides first as you recommend, but hasn’t helped. Any suggestions?
Hi Caroline, I’m so glad that you’re loving this gluten free beer bread recipe! There are a couple things you can try (check out my gluten free bread baking tips for more). First off, there could be a measurements issue where perhaps you’re not getting quite enough flour into the mix. Do you measure by weight or scooping? Weight is always the most accurate (1 cup of my gfJules Flour weighs 135grams). Not having enough flour will cause the ratio to liquids to be off and can cause the cave-ins. The bread pan is another consideration. You could try a pan with higher sides for support or put some of the dough into another pan so there’s less in your large pan. You could also add a couple extra tablespoons of milk powder or try decreasing the liquid by 1/4 cup. Play with it a little bit to see if you can find what works for your pan/oven/measuring. Let me know how it goes!
~jules
Thanks for the feedback! I do weigh the flour but I will try your other suggestions!
Ok, keep me posted!
I just finish make the gluten free beer bread for the first time.
I can’t wait to try.
Here’s a way to make a mock rye bread. I use gf Jules sandwich bread mix in my bread machine. I use a gf dark oatmeal stout (Steadfast) for the beer. I double the vinegar. I also add 1 tsp each of whole caraway seeds and dry dill weed, and 2 tsp dried minced onion.
Thank you for sharing these modifications to this gluten free beer bread recipe to transform it into a gluten free mock rye, Nora! Sounds delish – can’t wait to try it!!
~jules
i love this recipe and to just let everyone one know it also works great with better batter gluten free flour. I have made it with both flours and love it with either one.
Thanks so much for letting us know, Karie! All gluten free flour blends are different, but Better Batter blend is the one I recommend to folks when they don’t have my gfJules Flour on hand, so it’s great to know it works well for this recipe. Happy baking!
~jules
Have been using this recipe for years – especially holidays.
Hi Jill, glad to hear that you’ve been enjoying this recipe for years! Wondering why only 2 stars?
~jules