Beer

Garlic, Parmesan, and Herb Beer Bread

by:
May 20, 2011
4.7
6 Ratings
Garlic, Parmesan, and Herb Beer Bread
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 50 minutes
  • Makes 1 loaf
Author Notes

This is a variation on the basic beer bread recipe presented by Gerald Norman at food.com. Taken the basic bread batter itself, it is well suited for experimenting with any "filler" elements, such as olives, garlic, jalapenos, cheese, or anything that suits your imagination. One of my favorite combinations is garlic, parmesan and rosemary.

The preparation is quite simple, and takes about 5 minutes. 1 hour baking time. —joninnyc

Test Kitchen Notes

This chewy, dense quick bread has a malty sweetness from the beer (rule of thumb: the more flavorful the beer, the more flavorful the bread) and a rich honey color from the beer and the whole wheat flour, which I highly recommend you use. The sweetness is offset by the addition of nutty Parmesan, garlic and heady rosemary, making it suitable for almost any time of day (okay, maybe not an early morning breakfast). It is heavenly spread with a thick cloak of salted butter, or just as is. - Merrill —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 cups sifted white flour (optional: replace 1 cup with whole wheat flour)
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar (optional)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 head garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 handful grated Parmesan (to taste/preference)
  • 1 handful rosemary leaves, chopped (or to taste/preference)
  • 1 12-ounce can of beer (the more carbonated the better)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Sift the flour again into a large bowl.
  3. Add all dry ingredients, chopped garlic, cheese, and herbs. Lightly mix with a spoon.
  4. Slowly pour in beer. Let it sit for a few minutes to absorb the mixture. Mix with a spoon until dough has absorbed all of the beer. Should be a thick consistency.
  5. Grease a large bread pan and pour in mixture. Pour the butter over the dough.
  6. Cook for 50 minutes to an hour, until top of bread is golden brown and the loaf is firm to the touch.
  7. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Best served warm!
Tags:

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Susan Dawson
    Susan Dawson
  • enbe
    enbe
  • CathyinNanaimo
    CathyinNanaimo
  • Poniesss403
    Poniesss403

Popular on Food52

10 Reviews

CathyinNanaimo
CathyinNanaimo February 28, 2022
I seriously hope the list of ingredients meant one CLOVE of garlic not a head of the stuff lol. That would be overpowering. The author needs to edit the recipe if its written wrong...not everyone would go with their gut on this one.
 
Susan D.
Susan D. January 11, 2021
This was excellent! I modified just a bit. I used 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (mine rises a bit better with a little less baking powder; no idea why), 2 handfuls of Parmesan, 1 tsp garlic powder & 1 tsp of Oregano. Everyone is begging for the recipe! I have a pic; wish I could post it!
 
Poniesss403
Poniesss403 October 9, 2017
I made this without parmesan and sugar but put za'atar in the middle instead and it's SO good. The butter on top gives the loaf a lovely crust.
 
Rosemarie G.
Rosemarie G. November 17, 2012
i made this last night to go with pasta and mushrooms and it was perfect. i love beer breads as they are a great final hour bread. but most of the recipes i've tried are too sweet. this one has the perfect balance of savory/sweet for my taste. i used SA winter lager for the beer and dried rosemary.
 
Renut
Renut October 1, 2012
This recipe turns out great with dry herbs too. 1/2 tsp garlic powder & 1 tsp dry Rosemary. I prefer without the sugar. GREAT with Italian dishes and so easy to make!
 
kstallbe
kstallbe March 13, 2012
For my taste, the garlic was too strong, and though strong garlic can be tasty, like on a slice of grandma pizza, this was sorta mellowed strength that made the garlic taste sorta funky, like gym, socks. Maybe my garlic was funky!
 
Ghazzzit
Ghazzzit January 4, 2012
I made this bread earlier today and I love it! I used 1c Rye, 1c Whole Wheat and 1c bread flour. 3tbsp of turbinado sugar and oregano instead of rosemary as that's what I have growing. The beer was a DosEquis Amber I had in the fridge. It turned out with the barest hint of sweetness and full of flavor. Thanks for sharing!
 
lynn7555
lynn7555 November 23, 2011
Love this recipe! It goes together quick and comes out with such a fantastic crust. Plan on making it again tonight.
 
VeggieQueen
VeggieQueen June 14, 2011
I made this at the weekend for my sister's barbecue and it was such a hit. I used Miller beer. My mother, who couldn't have any because she was sick, said that the whole house smelled like garlic for the next two days, I think it was coming from us! The bread was fantastic though, and the melted butter before it is baked is genius - the crust is divine. I will make this time and again - and everyone demanded the recipe. Thank you!!
 
enbe
enbe June 9, 2011
Made this tonight on a whim- even though I didn't have any of the ingredients I should have- and it was still delicious. I used a large pinch of dried rosemary, put in the whole 1/2 cup sugar and used a coors (it was in the fridge!). While it was way too sugary, the beer taste still came through nicely. This is definitely worth trying again with less sugar and maybe a darker beer. I've never had such flavorful bread! Thanks :)