Apple Bacon Beer Bread Recipe
Savory with a dash of sweet this apple bacon beer bread is a one-hour homemade quick bread. It’s great when you want homemade bread, but don’t have the time or energy to make a classic yeast bread. With just a few pantry staples, a large bowl, a couple of fun mix-ins, butter, and your favorite beer, you are on your way to a tasty loaf of homemade bread. No yeast or sourdough starter required.
When it comes to homemade bread making, I’m all for pulling out yeast and getting my hands dirty. In fact, I often find it a major stress reliever.
Sometimes though, I don’t feel like kneading for what can feel like hours and then waiting actual real hours for the bread to rise not once, but twice before I can bake it. As much as I love my homemade English muffin bread and cranberry orange poppy seed bread, sometimes I want bread now. Sometimes, I just want to smell the bread. Often, I just want to eat it.
When those times arrive, homemade beer bread is usually my go-to choice. While I love a good easy beer bread recipe like my cheddar sausage Guinness beer bread recipe, this apple bacon combination is one of my favorite variations. A little sweet a little savory, and since it’s a quick bread, it leaves lots of time for other things.
How to Make Beer Bread Basics
The first thing to know about beer bread: the yeast in the beer does not make the bread rise. The yeast in the beer is brewer’s yeast and its job is to ferment the beer. Brewers yeast and baking yeast are two different things and can’t be used interchangeably.
The second thing to know about making beer bread is to only use beer that you enjoy drinking. When you add beer to something like a beer cheese recipe, it is going to affect the final flavor. In the case of beer bread, the beer makes up a more significant portion of the recipe and will give a more prominent flavor. If that prominent flavor isn’t enjoyable from the glass, it won’t be enjoyable from the plate either.
Homemade Beer Bread Variations
When it comes to your basic beer bread almost every recipe I’ve seen is the same. The batter is based on a set ratio of all-purpose flour mixture, leavener (usually baking powder), salt, sugar, beer, and butter. Total quantities can be adjusted for more or fewer loaves, but for reliable results, the base recipe remains the same. The variations come in the mix-ins and your choice of beer.
The Apples and Bacon
I love the apple and bacon combination in this bread. It’s a little salty and a little sweet, and a whole lot of satisfactory snacking. I especially love this combination with a sharp cheddar cheese, which is fully satisfied by using this bread for grilled cheese sandwiches.
Your apples should be raw and cut up into small chunks. Any variety will do, the best variety is usually the one that doesn’t require an additional trip the store. I often use honeycrisp, gala, or jazz apples. If you’re using a variety with a thick skin, you may want to peel it, but it’s not required. Granny smith and other baking apples that I would recommend for making apple cinnamon rolls or mini apple pies may retain too much of their structure, but that choice is yours.
The bacon should be cooked thoroughly, then chopped or crumbled into cooked bacon pieces about the same size as the apple chunks. Like extra crispy bacon? Make yours extra crispy. Like your bacon slightly undercooked? Go for it. The choice is up to you!
Choosing a Beer
As mentioned in rule number two, do not bake or cook with beer you don’t enjoy drinking. If Miller Lite is your jam, use it in this recipe. If you like small-batch craft IPAs, you’ll love the beer bread at our house. Want to try it with a cider instead? Please do, and let me know how it turns out! (I can only imagine it would taste amazing!)
Keep in mind that the stronger the flavor of your beer, the more prominent those flavors will be in the bread. Things like stouts, IPAs, and Belgian triples will stand out more than pilsners, lagers, or anything labeled “light beer”. Again, choose something you like and you will get good results.
Storage Instructions
To store this apple bacon beer bread recipe, store in a reusable airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Alternatively, you can store it in the freezer.
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Apple Bacon Beer Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 TBSP baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup chopped apple
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 1/4 cup butter – melted
- 12 ounces beer
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Liberally butter or oil a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- Preheat a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl measure out flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Whisk to combine and remove any lumps.
- Crumble bacon, then add chopped apples and bacon to the flour mixture and stir to combine.
- Pour in melted butter and beer. Mix until just combined, but don’t over mix. Batter will be sticky.
- Pour batter into greased pan and place immediately into the hot oven. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. About 50 – 60 minutes.
- Cool 5 – 10 minutes before slicing.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
I just made this and OMG it’s amazing 😋 I used a Fuji Apple and Applewood Smoked Bacon and a Dos Equis Amber Beer. I also reduced the salt to a half teaspoon because of the Bacon I felt that would be enough. I could wait to cut into it and it did not disappoint! Thank you for sharing the recipe, this one is a keeper 🥰