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!
One reviewer on Pinterest even converted this gluten free Beer Bread Recipe into a “whole grain gluten free sandwich bread recipe”. Here’s how she did it:
What’s not an option is using any old other gluten free flour blend as the base flour. 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 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 (e.g. 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; (if using gfJules Bread Mix, only add 2 eggs or equivalent sub)
- 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..
Recommended Products
I may earn a small amount from qualifying affiliate purchases; this amount goes to fund this blog and does not cost you anything additional.
Nutrition Information
Yield 16 Serving 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.
Pin it for later!
Based on 39 Review(s)
Jules, I have a question. I do not drink beer and have never liked the taste in foods that are beer battered. I love the idea of the higher rise, though. Could you recommend a beer that has a mild enough flavor I might like it ?
Hi Tonya, no worries about using gluten free beer. You could just as easily use club soda or Perrier or even gingerale, although that makes the bread slightly sweet. If you do decide to try a gluten free beer in this recipe, I’d recommend you refer to my article on gluten free beers to find the one that sounds like the best fit for your tastebuds. Let me know what you decide and how it turns out!
~jules
This is the most amazing GF bread I’ve ever had, and the most amazing part is that I CAN MAKE IT EASILY AT HOME! No bread maker needed. People in my family can’t believe it’s GF. THANK YOU, JULES!
Oh Tamara that makes me so happy to hear! So glad you have delicious bread back in your life, no bread maker needed!!! Happy baking!
~jules
This is my all time favorite recipe from Jules! I use my bread machine rather than oven. It always comes out so moist and delicious! I’ve tried some store bought gf breads and they are usually lacking in flavor or bitter or so dense you could club somebody. This recipe is pretty simple to make as I toss the liquid ingredients in the machine then the dry, yeast to top it off and then I start it. I use club soda for mine rather than beer just because I’ve never liked the taste of beer.
So glad to hear you love this bread too, Kristie! It’s one of our favorites and I often make it at cooking demos with club soda, as well. Everyone loves how soft it turns out and you’re right, in the bread machine, it’s super easy!!!
~jules
Hello,
I want to make this for my daughter who has celiac disease in my new bread machine. Can you please tell how you made it in the machine as I have never used one before.
Thanks,
Kelly
Hi Kelly, how nice that you want to bake GF bread for your daughter! She’s going to love it!!! Why don’t you review my article on baking GF bread in a breadmaker — I think that should tell you all you need to know about using your new machine. Please let me know if you have any other questions or need more info! I’m happy to help!
~jules
I just made this bread in the oven, followed all instructions. I put it in the oven when it had risen to the top of the pan and it rose beautifully in the oven. When I took out to cool and within half an had it had fallen. Any idea why?
Hi Margaret,
If you followed the directions and used exactly the ingredients listed, and still had the bread sink, I’d recommend that you check out my article on GF Bread Baking Tips and see if any of these apply to you. I think some will may directly apply and help. Let me know!
~jules
I checked out the tips and just made another loaf, same problem. I left this one in longer, checked the temp it was 208 degrees. I turned off the oven and I left it in the open oven and it fell. I have made many GF loaves of bread and this is the only time this has happened. I have 2 big bags of your flour.
Margaret, did you say you have “bags” of my flour? My gfJules flour comes in boxes – did you buy from the other company that was using my name and image, but aren’t allowed to anymore? If so, I can’t vouch for their products at all but you could try to return them. Let me know!
~jules
This is such a fabulous bread! Just finished making a double batch and putting it into muffin tins to make “rolls” for Thanksgiving tomorrow! If only the Pilgrims could have been so lucky! Shout out to Omission gf Beer too.
Yay, Natalie! That sounds like a fantastic thing to serve on Thanksgiving! I agree that the Pilgrims would have been mighty happy and lucky to have such soft, fluffy bread! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!
~jules
I never thought to try this for Thanksgiving rolls! Brilliant idea! I spent many hours last year trying to get something to turn out and they never did.
So glad you can look forward to a yummier Thanksgiving this year, Kristie!
~jules
My family and I are just getting into the gluten free options due to our naturopath explaining that there might be a link between my sons’ various skin ailments and gluten. Anyway…we have an old bread maker without the gluten free setting. There is a rapid setting however all the recipes for rapid require 4tsp of yeast. Also the rapid setting is only 70 minutes long and when contemplating what to set the bread maker on I chose to do the dough setting…followed by a 35 minute bake time. As I write this…I’m pretty sure the bread has risen and fallen…making another “brick” bread for me to eat up instead of the light and fluffy loaves you have on your site. Any help and guidance from anyone would be greatly appreciated….It’s hard to do trial and error when the ingredients are a bit pricey!
Oh and the type of flour I used was a Gluten Free All purpose flour (brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, chickpea flour and xanthan gum) I also added a 1/4 cup of almond flour and 1/4 cup of fresh ground flax. We live in Canada so I’m not sure we can get your flour.
Hi Ken, welcome to the gluten-free family! Have a look at my post on baking GF bread in a bread maker: That should help you get started. As far as the setting, it’s likely to need at least 60 minutes of bake time and I’d recommend 60 minutes of rise time, particularly with the heavy flours you are using. Ratios make a big difference, and if there’s too much liquid, it rises too quickly, the flours are too heavy … it will sink. As far as my flour goes, we do now ship to Canada and we are working on getting some better prices for shipping there, so stay tuned! Good luck!!!
~jules
Jules,
Yet another one of our fabulous recipes! I have made this often and is one off most fool-proof recipes. Along wrong your GF soft Tortillas! You ROCK!!
That’s fabulous to hear, Monika! Thank you!!!!
~jules
Could you use a different type of gluten free flour besides yours in this one? I just stumbled on this recipe and am new to your page and don’t have any of your flour, but I do have some of Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour on hand.
Hi Carrie, I can’t recommend using that particular flour in this recipe, since it’s so very different from my flour blend. There are no binders in it and it relies heavily on bean flours which are heavier than my flour and leave a funky aftertaste. All gluten-free flour blends are different, but that particular blend is extremely different from mine, and I’d hate for you to make the recipe with it and not be happy with the results. I wish I had better news for you, but at least you have options! If you would like to try my flour blend, we will deliver right to your door, so that does make things easier.
~jules
I just made this bread and it turned out fantastic. I too only had Bobs Red Mill flour. The bread turned out moist springy and yummy. First time I’ve had bread this good in a long time
I’m so glad you finally had some good gluten free bread, Shelly! I can’t wait to hear how you like this bread recipe with my gfJules Flour – not only is it lighter and has no grit at all, it keeps the baked bread fresher for days!
~jules
I made this using ginger ale & our bread machine. It was the 1st time making GF bread & it was AMAZING!! We devoured it!! This immediately made my 13 son who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a year ago & with celiac disease 6 months ago VERY happy. Suddenly he found a bread that he could eat & he LOVED it. We’re looking forward to trying some others, too. Thank you for all you do!
That’s wonderful to hear, Heather! It’s a wonderful feeling to find something delicious and safe you can make for your child – I’m thrilled to have had any part in helping you! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Happy bread baking!
~jules
I tried this today and it was terrible. Although, having said that,it did taste nice, the texture was good and it was cooked in the middle but after the 30 – 40 minutes of rising it only rose to within about 1/4 inch from the top of the tin (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf tin). I’m not sure if this was enough but I took it out of the oven and turned the oven on to 180 celsius to cook the loaf. While the oven was heating, I tried to brush milk over the loaf but the batter stuck to the brush so I “sprinkled” rather than brushed. When the oven reached the correct temperature I put the tin in and checked after about 5 – 10 minutes when I found the top was burning but the bread still hadn’t risen at all. I put some foil over the loaf which stopped it burning any further. When 35 minutes was up it still hadn’t risen any further. I let it sit for 15 minutes then couldn’t get it out of the tin. I used a knife to loosen it but it was well and truely stuck to the bottom and the sides and bottom were very, very dark brown and just verging on burnt. I had brushed the tin with olive oil so I don’t know if this was the culprit. Consequently we have a loaf which is split length wise down the middle, hasn’t risen much at all but tastes good enough that I would like to try again as my grand daughter has just been diagnosed as gluten intolerant. I live in Australia and in a small country town where I was only able to get Lulas All Purpose Gluten Free flour so I don’t know if this has anything to do with the way the bread turned out. Can you help me as this flour was over $10.00 per kilo and don’t want to mess it up again. Also, do you deliver your products outside the US.
Please help as I can’t find anyone around here or has any info about using gluten free flour at all.
With thanks,
Isabell
Hi Isabell, I’m sorry for your frustration with this recipe, but I’m sure it has to do with the fact that the flour you used was not my blend. I’m not familiar with Lulas Flour, unfortunately. If you could tell me some more about the ingredients and the order in which they are listed, I will try to help you figure out what is different about the blends and perhaps how you could make your own blend that would work better in recipes like this one. Just curious – what kind of gluten-free beer did you use? I would love to know what is available in Australia!
I just made this- it was my first time using your flour, first time attempting a gluten free loaf. I had all the ingredients, except I subbed the beer for 7up. I made it in a cusinart bread maker under the GF setting. It looks and SMELLS delicious. The rice was great- the color is great. I just took it out and took the temp- it was 208, which I was excited about, until I pulled the thermometer out- it was all gooey… It is still cooling,but the sides and bottom have caved a bit. Any thoughts on what I did wrong, or what I should change?
Hi Stephanie, if the internal temperature was between 205-210 AND it wasn’t goey inside, it is baked. It’s a bit harder to control for this using a bread maker, but I’ve found with my Cuisinart GF breadmaker (we might have the same model), I have to add another 10 minutes of bake time to it. I’ve gotten to the point of actually preheating my oven and putting the pan into the oven at the end of the bread maker cycle, or I just don’t open the lid on the bread maker and allow the bread to sit for another 10 minutes (it’s still warm enough inside to bake it). If it caved in a bit, that’s another sign that the bread wasn’t fully baked. Hopefully there are some slices on the ends that are fully cooked, or you can toast the slices and still use them and enjoy the delicious flavor. Hope that helps for next time!
Tried this today in a regular old Breadman breadmaker (no GF setting). And it turned out fantastic! it’s the first time I’ve had soft and light GF bread! I used the quick breading setting and it turned out great. Thanks so much.
Fantastic to hear, Stephanie! Thanks for including the setting and machine for your bread maker for reference! I’m thrilled that you’ve finally achieved GF Bread Greatness!!!!
I thought gluten free bread recipes required xanthan gum? Wanted to try this recipe of yours, but wondered about that, before I start…
Hi Rosanne, my Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour already includes xanthan gum – easy peasy!
I tried this out in my bread machine…using my bread machine for the first time. The instruction booklet said to use “basic” for gluten free breads. Well I did…until I heard it go into the second round of kneading and rising (the booklet does not say how many of each is in each setting). So then I turned it to “bake”…not knowing how long to cook it. The internal temp reached 210 degrees, but with raw dough coming out on the thermometer. So I let it cook longer…I eventually took it out after 2 hours!!!! It had a very done “shell”, but was still doughy in the middle. Ugh. Guess my bread machine won’t get used much. I’ll stick to hand mixing and baking in the oven.
Hi Codi, sounds like your breadmaker is very definitely programmed for gluten breads. It also sounds like it didn’t get a chance to rise at all, which I bet is the main reason it cooked on the outside but was still doughy in the middle. Next time you could mix it up and then put it in the pan to rise and bake in the breadmaker, I suppose, but that’s not saving you much effort! Wish all breadmakers had a GF setting!!
Hi Jules! I have a mini Zo bread machine that makes only 1 pound loaves. What size loaf is this recipe for?
Hi Jennifer – this recipe makes a 2lb loaf. It’s super easy to make in the oven if it’s too big for your Zo!
This looks great! Any chance I can make it without the yeast? I’m not quite sure if yeast is a legit ingredient for us yet. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Denise, this recipe does need the yeast, and you’ll have to check about any GF beers you would use (if you used that ingredient) to see if yeast was used in making those, too. I do have a yeast-free sandwich bread recipe in my bread-baking e-book and in my book, Free for All Cooking. Really yummy bread and no yeast!
Can you use a regular bread machine and how do you adjust the settings. Looking forward to making this bread. Where can I buy your book Free for all cooking.I also am dairy and egg free, not happy about this and nothing I try to make turns out. At the young age of 71 I am very frustrated and feel like I’m aging trying to adjust, and I used to be a very good baker. I already bought your flour at a local store. Please help.
Hi Patti, way to go for diving in and trying GF, egg-free, dairy-free baking at the young age of 71! I applaud you for being willing to experiment!! To answer your questions about the bread machine, you can use a regular bread machine to bake GF bread, but you need to program it or choose a program that only has 1 knead/mix cycle, 1 rise cycle and 1 bake cycle. The rise should be about 30 minutes – 1 hour and the bake time should be around 1 hour for a 2 lb loaf. The first time you try, hang around the machine and keep an eye on it to make sure it’s behaving and not over or under-cooking the loaf. Take the internal temperature of the bread to be sure it’s fully cooked – it should be 205-210F when done.
As for the egg-free and dairy-free parts of your new baking adventure, the no dairy component is easy. All of my recipes already are dairy-free or give dairy-free substitutes. As for eggs, in bread, you want to select a bread recipe that has less than 3 eggs in it. I like flaxseed meal + water for an egg substitute in yeast breads. You can read more on that here: recommended egg substitutes article.
Best of luck on the experiments, and write back anytime you need help! You can also email us at [email protected] and we can walk through recipes or substitutions with you!
Hi Jules! I’d like to make this recipe in the breadmaker but wasn’t sure how to do this? Should I just out in all the wet ingredients, then the dry ingredients, and then the yeast and then just turn the machine on? Or do I have to mix it as called for in the recipe before putting it in the breadmaker? Thanks!
Hi Meghan, this recipe is great for a bread maker too. Just put all the wet ingredients (make sure they’re room temp or warmer) in the pan first, then the dry and the yeast on top, as you said. No need to mix before putting it into the bread maker. Enjoy the bread – it’s one of my favorites!
Thank you for good bread. Just made a loaf in my Hamilton Bread machine. Husband said it was still a little soft even after I put it in the oven for ten minutes. I used Ginger ale instead of beer, but I also added 1T of agave before I remember it said not it you are using agave. Could that be it? Any good idea on slicing?
Hi Amanda, so glad you’re finally enjoying good gluten-free bread! I must say that the bread being too soft isn’t a complaint we often hear in the GF world (LOL!), but my guess is that the flour wasn’t measured quite right. Next time, if you have a food scale, each cup of my Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour should weigh 135gr. If you don’t have a food scale, spoon my flour into measuring cups and then level off with a knife to make sure it’s measured accurately. Let me know how it goes next time you make it! (And don’t add the agave if you’re using gingerale!)
I have failed at making every bread recipe with my gluten free bread maker…except this one. I almost cried when it came out good! It’s so nice to be able to enjoy fresh baked bread again. The store bough GF breads don’t even come close. My kids will even eat this! Thank you, thank you!!!
Oh Melanie, that is so fantastic to hear! I’m thrilled that you didn’t give up and that you kept at it! So glad you now have a great go-to homemade GF bread recipe you and your family will enjoy!!!