Beer Bread (half Loaf) Recipe

Preheat and prepare pan

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 8x4-inch loaf pan or a similarly sized small loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray, and line with a small strip of parchment if desired for easy removal.

Combine dry ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly distributed and there are no lumps.

Add beer and mix

Pour the cold beer into the dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula, stir just until combined and there are no large pockets of dry flour. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy — do not overmix.

Transfer to pan and top

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Brush the surface with the 1 tablespoon of melted butter to promote browning.

Bake

Bake in the preheated oven for 30–38 minutes, or until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter. If the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 20 minutes.

Cool

Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest in the pan for 8–10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let cool 10–15 minutes more before slicing. Serve warm with honey butter.

While the bread bakes or cools, make the honey butter. In a small bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter, honey, fine sea salt, and optional lemon zest. Use a fork or small whisk to beat until smooth, slightly fluffy, and fully incorporated. Taste and adjust salt or honey as desired.

Transfer the honey butter to a small serving dish and chill briefly if you prefer it firmer. Serve a generous pat alongside slices of warm beer bread.