Easy 5-Ingredient Whole Wheat Beer Bread that’s fat-free and super simple to make. Crunchy on the outside, soft & chewy on the inside, and purely delicious.
Two things I love are beer and bread. So, I decided to combine the two. And, the result is this delicious homemade loaf of heaven you see before you.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Easy 5-Ingredient Whole Wheat Beer Bread. Let’s bake!
All you need are 5 simple, inexpensive ingredients to make this amazing bread.
Whole wheat flour. Your favorite ale, lager, or stout. A little sweetener, some baking powder and a little salt.
Now, just dump the ingredients into a bowl, mix, and bake.
Seriously, it’s that simple. Don’t overthink this or try to make it complicated. There’s enough crap going on in the world.
So, while this loaf of happiness bakes in a 375˚F oven you got a little time to chill.
Use that time to think about your woman. Think about your dude. Dream about that special place the two of you would love to go. And, because I just saved you a ton of money on bread ingredients, that trip might actually happen. You’re welcome.
Hey, if you don’t have a “special someone”, don’t get all depressed. Sometimes love can be high maintenance and expensive. Ask Kanye. So, you just sit back and enjoy the smell of fresh, homemade bread baking in the oven.
Easy 5-Ingredient Whole Wheat Beer Bread
I have no doubt you’re going to love this Easy 5-Ingredient Whole Wheat Beer Bread. It’s…
- Super simple to make
- Healthy
- Crusty on the outside
- Soft and chewy on the inside
- A freaking dream
- Absolutely delicious
This bread makes an awesome toast for almond butter or my Smoky Bacon Flavored Hummus. It also makes a killer sandwich when you use my Smoky Maple Tempeh Bacon and Cashew mayo. Hell yeah!
Check out some of my other recipes: Vegan Breakfast Sausage, Chickpea Curry, Banana Bread, Blueberry Pancakes, Amazing Belgian Waffles & a kick ass Chocolate Pudding!
If you make this recipe let me know. Be sure and leave a comment below with a star rating. And, share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #shaneandsimple. I want to see your work. Enjoy!
This recipe was shared at the Weekend Potluck!
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Easy 5-Ingredient Whole Wheat Beer Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
- Category: Side
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Easy 5-Ingredient Whole Wheat Beer Bread that’s fat-free and super simple to make. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and delicious.
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat pastry or regular whole wheat flour
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1–12 oz. bottle favorite beer (sometimes it says 11.2 oz. That’s ok.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl add dry ingredients and whisk until well combined.
- Next, add sweetener and beer and mix until it forms a dough. Make sure everything is well combined. Use your hands if needed.
- Scrape dough into a silicon, non-stick or lightly sprayed loaf pan and spread evenly in the pan.
- Bake for 45mins – 1 hour. Check and see if the bread is done by inserting knife in the center. If it comes out clean, it’s ready.
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I haven’t make it yet, but wonder if the recipe would work with Angry Orchard Hard Apple cider?
Thanks–sounds delicious.
Hi, Pam! I’m not sure. The yeast content in beer is what makes it rise so it would all depend on that element. But, I love the idea. Let me know if you try it.
Wow so good and so quick and easy! The dough came together in minutes. Used a can of Hefeweizen, baked on convect for 40 mins then turned it into garlic bread – to die for! We will be making this all the time. Thanks for the great recipe!
Love this bread! But this last time I made it, the rise didn’t happen. Not sure why as I made exactly the same as usual except I used whole red wheat flour. I followed other’s advice for letting it sit 15 minutes and sifted the flour. Maybe it was the flour? Still tastes delish, just not as high of a rise as I would like. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks Shane!
Hi, Carla. Not quite sure why it didn’t rise. It’s possible the red wheat flour could be a bit too hard. I would try regular whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour. Try that and let me know if it works.
Cant make this often enough! My husband gets nervous when there is no backup in the freezer. I first made it with the beer I had on hand which was an extra stout. It was a little earthy for me, but hubby loved it. I have since been making it with a lager and it is perfect! As another reviewer suggested, I am also sifting the dry ingredients and once the dough is formed I am letting it sit for 15 minutes before backing.
Love this! So easy and so good! I made it with my hubby’s favorite ipa and it was delicious! Tonight I’m trying with my fav, Leffe Belgian Blonde.
Excellent!
Oh, my goodness! I made this bread, some red pepper hummus, and a pot of goulash. That combination was divine! Thanks, Shane. This bread is amazingly good!
Just made this today. So so good!! Needed to cut quite a bit of time off, because the top was getting too toasty. Rave reviews from my family!
Thank you!
That’s great, Stacie! Yes, every appliance is different. I’m still learning that when we visit family and they ask me to cook. Let’s just say that not every first attempt in someone else’s kitchen is always a success.
Love the simplicity & ease of making this bread. It tasted wonderful & goes great with your Instant Pot Vegetable Soup. I’m sure it goes with a lot of your other recipes as well. I’ll be making this again!
Tried this for the first time yesterday with a can of beer that my brother in law wanted to get rid of (the can looked liked soda pop and the beer was pink – really!). Even with that, the bread was delicious. Next batch will be made with some lovely red ale.
Question: the fine crumb texture of the bread reminded me of a vegan cornbread I make. Do you think I could successfully sub 1/2 a cup or so of cornmeal for a similar amount of the wheat flour? Maybe more?
I think anything’s worth trying…at least once:) Not sure how it would turn. But, go for it.
Like others, I’m delighted with how this turned out and I’m grateful for the recipe. I added a couple tablespoons of rosemary and other (milled fresh and dried) herbs and maybe a half cup of diced kalamata olives, and baked it in a roasting pan with the lid on for the first 30 minutes to make the crust more ‘artisan’ and it came out perfectly crusty for soup. Can’t wait to try some of the other ways commenters have suggested. Thank you for helping me make good food for myself and friends :-).
Julie, that sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing.
This was so easy and so good! It was wonderful to have homemade bread for Christmas! The whole family enjoyed it. I love that there is no kneading, no yeast (something I don’t keep in my pantry), and it’s a simple, no-fail recipe. Thank you, Shane!
My husband has made two loaves so far, using sprouted spelt flour. Delicious!
This recipe truly is quick and easy. It’s a keeper!
Thank you, Shane!
So glad you enjoyed it!
So easy to make! So few ingredients! A hit with my family! I will be making this again! Thank you!!
I don’t like beer and I’ve made beer bread before that I didn’t like at all, so I was hesitant to try this recipe. I’ve had good luck with your other recipes so I forged on. This bread is AWESOME! Thank you!
Thank you, Melanie!
I am vegan and I have not had a decent piece of bread in years. I’ve always had to res easy 5-ingredient whole wheat beer bread ort to the very expensive breads like Ezekiel and Dave’s. This is such a wonderful treat. In fact it is a treat that I will give myself every week. I hope you get this comment because I am really impressed with this recipe and I’m so pleased that you posted it.
You recipes are absolutely awesome! This bread is hard to keep around – it’s so good we can’t quit eating it!!! Thanks for helping us along our WFPBNO journey 😉
I made this bread today, and it is definitely the BEST homemade bread recipe I have found to date! It was absolutely delicious! Thanks, Shane!
This sounds amazing, Shane! I don’t have beer in the house tho… do you have a recipe using Brewers Yeast instead? 😀
Thank you! Abundant blessings!!
Working on one now as a matter of fact. But, I do have a No Yeast Bread recipe that has become a family favorite. HERE: https://shaneandsimple.com/no-yeast-bread/
Oh, great!! I’ll check this one out in the interim!
I ended up making the bread with Kambucha! I also made a small modification to the recipe by using ⅓ of brown rice flour and ⅔ of whole wheat flour – it turned out great!! It’s soo easy to make!! The dough is less dense than usual, so I thought I needed more flour, nevertheless, I left it as it was and no knitting was necessary! I’m so happy with the results! Thank you from Toronto, Canada!
That sounds awesome! Thank you so much for reaching out. Blessings.
Is there anything else beside the beer that can be used even substituting non-alcohol something besides bear thanks
Non-alcoholic beer works as well. The beer acts as the yeast. Hope this helps.
I have made this twice and now that I’m close to being Plant Based it is now a staple! I followed a couple review tips and keep it in the frig. I love cutting thin slices and making PB & J sandwich’s ! Thanks so much for this amazing recipe. PS Hubby asked me why there’s a can of beer on the counter! LOL!😀
Haha, Janie! That is awesome. Thanks so much for sharing. And, congrats on your journey. Blessings.
So here in Lockdown UK there is a massive shortage of both wheat flour and yeast.
I made this recipe with oat flour I made by blitzing my porridge oats. It is simply brilliant… thank-you
That’s great, Jan! Way to make it work.
I switched out half a cup of the flour for a mixture of flaxseed, slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds and pea protein, used rice bran syrup for the sweetener and yeasty IPA. Tastes amazing.
Very nice.
Hi Shane. Love the bread. 3 things for first timers. Hard bread? Sift or lighten flour. Do not pack it! Second bring beer to room temp when using honey. Mixes way better. Third mix thoroughly but DO NOT OVERMIX. Fourth if you have time let it sit about 15 minutes. Rises better. Fifth think of all the lovely spices you can add over time so you never get tired of it. Sixth lighter beers tend to go better with sweeter breads with cinnamon, raisins, & such. Happy baking from a little old baker.
Mary Jo, this is great!!! Thank you so much. If you don’t mind, I’ll include these in the notes section of the recipe card (crediting you of course). Thanks again!
Super easy, just like you said! Flavors are amazing; used a local IPA. My oven runs hot, so this loaf only baked for 43 minutes. It looked perfectly browned on top and bottom, but when cutting into it, the bottom was unusually tough. Is this due to no oil? Thanks for your terrific recipes and I’d love to hear back from you.
Hi, Lauren! Glad you liked the bread. Yes, to some extent the crust on the bottom is a little tougher, but that’s because it’s naturally a dense bread. If you’d like for it to be a little softer try cooking it 35-40 minutes and then check and see if it is ready in the middle. Hope this helps and let me know! Peace.
Thank you for adding Jump to Recipe button.
I make this bread all the time … and by that I mean weekly. I add all sorts of interesting flavours and tidbits but don’t change the basic recipe and it always works out. What a find! My husband has fun buying the beers to try!! THANK YOU.
Janice, that is awesome!!! Thanks for reaching out. Blessings.
I’ve always wanted to try making my own bread, but the other recipes I found were too intimidating. This was so easy and delicious! Thank you!
Thank you:)
Thank you for such a great recipe! We are an older couple starting a whole food plant based no oil and no sugar way of eating. This recipe is very good. Made it last night and served with my homemade vegetable soup. What a treat.
Now to look through your recipes and see which one I will try next!
Thanks again!
Hi, Candace! Thank you so much and I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Congrats on your journey and thanks for letting me be a small part of it. Cheers:)
My boyfriend was super skeptical how this would work without adding yeast. So yesterday, we decided to have an experiment. I followed this recipe exactly, and my boyfriend used less beer and added a packet of yeast. Mine actually turned out better!!! Completely blown away at how simple and delicious this recipe is, we made this and your vegetable soup recipe and omg everything is so good.
Wow, Allie! That gets me so excited (and way to show him. LOL! Just kidding) I’m so glad y’all enjoyed the bread and the soup. Blessings.
This bread just popped out of the oven. I made it with oat flour and a combo of wild rice and fonio flours that I made in the good old vitamix. Once again your recipes never fail me. Canada loves your recipes, thanks Shane!!
Thank you so much, Tami! And, I LOVE Canada:) Blessings.
I’m in South Africa and made this with a castle lager. I had to hunt a bit to find a good whole wheat flour but the end product was amazing! I see some recipes add butter or vegan butter to the top. I’m wondering if brushing it with olive oil would be be a healthy-ish alternative…
Hi, Merlynn! I’m so glad you liked the bread. My family and I enjoy the bread with soups and chili. I’ve never found the need to add oil or anything to it. But, my website is also an oil-free site so I don’t recommend any types of oils.
Shane! Thank you, so easy. I think I’ll make this dough into lil’ bagels next time.
Sounds good to me:)
I’d like to make this bread but don’t have any beer. I’m wondering what I could use instead. Is there something specific in the beer that makes the “chemistry” in this recipe work?
Hi, Melody. Yes, it acts like the yeast in order to make it rise.
I don’t have a lot of energy to bake, but I love baking. This is an amazing recipe. So easy and delicious. I was using up different types of flour so I had three different flours LOL I cooked it in my toaster oven. The hardest part was getting a beer from my husband 😆
I never have the energy to bring things to dinners and gatherings, now I have something to bring always. Thank you so much for this recipe Shane…marvellous.
k
Thank you so much! I’m glad you got that beer:)
Hi Shane! Baked this up today in a jiffy! Added sunflower, pumpkin, chia and ground flax seeds and sprinkled with oatmeal before baking. Used Michelob Ultra Superior Light beer and dang!!! If this bread isn’t straight out of heaven i don’t know what is!! Well, well done! Your website is very quickly becoming one of my favourite go to places for plant based recipes!
Wow, Shannon, thank you so much! Please don’t hesitate to reach out with a comment or question. Blessings.
2,325 mg sodium in one teaspoon of salt, 1,464 mg of sodium in one tablespoon of baking powder, that’s 3,789 for the loaf, and at 12 servings, that’s 316 mg sodium per slice, (not even counting the trace amounts of sodium in maple syrup and wheat flour) not the 198 you list on the nutritional info. 🙁
Hi, Christine! Thanks for reaching out with this information. I have several online nutrition calculators I use for recipes and they calculate many different brands, etc. I went back and checked the recipe and apparently it did calculate this recipe using low-sodium baking powder. I have updated it to reflect normal baking powder. Sorry for any confusion and thanks again for reaching out.
Made this tonight. It’s hearty and delicious!
Thank you so much, Jennifer! Blessings.
Cant wait to try this, but will have to wait for a sunny day … I bake in a solar oven! BTW, I am on about my fifth batch of your awesome granola. SOOO good.
Awww, Shawna, thank you so much! I’m glad you like the granola and hope you enjoy the bread.
What gluten-free flour would you suggest? ? ?
I like gluten-free oat flour. But, Bob’s Red Mill works well.
Can add Cheddar cheese without altering the recipe?
Hi, Marc. I don’t eat cheese or use cheese in my recipes as this is a plant-based / vegan blog so I honestly couldn’t tell you what the outcome would be. Sorry. But, feel free to try it and see what happens. That’s how most of my recipes start:)
dang… this is fantastic and SO VERY EASY! I thought making excellent bread was going to take forever with 2-3 rises and having to knead it to high heaven – nope! It really couldn’t have been simpler and it’s sooooo gooood! My husband and I each give you a high-five on this! I made this to go with the Sweet potato black bean chili (which is another 5-star recipe, BTW) but it’s just as good with a little “butter” and honey or choice of jam. Just YUM!
Thanks for the recipe. I was looking for a whole wheat version. Ended up black on top and not quite cooked in the middle in my convection oven at 190C. I guess I should cook it at 180 next time?
Probably, David. Convection ovens should be set at a lower heat than with regular oven. I would try 160 / 165 celsius.
Thanks! That helped. 160 C for 1.5 hours. Added sunflower seeds, linseeds, and on top rolled oats and sesame seeds: fantastic!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it.
I’ve never made bread in my life. I took a risk and made this, it was the easiest and most delicious bread I’ve had in a long time. I will definitely be making this a couple of times a month if not more. It’s genius!
Thank you, Kimberly! That’s so great to hear and I’m pumped you loved it. It’s a fave around our house as well. It goes great with my Vegan Tomato Soup…hint, hint;) Thanks for reaching out and rating it too! Blessings.
Hi Shane. I made this beer bread recipe. Loved how simple it is, but bc Im not a natural in the kitchen, I was wondering what I did to have it come out so DENSE? Very heavy. I used 100%whole wheat flour, and a reds apple ale beer. Could mybaking powder have been old?
Hey again, Holli:) It is a very dense bread. It’s what you would consider more for soups, sides, etc. Not a sandwich bread that tends to be very light and fluffy. You did just fine:)
Sooo tasty!! Used Lights Out Stout & some Canadian maple syrup. Can’t wait to try this with some peanut butter & fruit later.
Mandy, thank you so much! Stouts do work great for this bread as well real Canadian maple syrup (yes, I’m jealous). I love it with peanut butter and fruit especially after I’ve toasted it:) Have a great day! Blessings.
Do you think I could make this in a bread machine? Since it’s so hot out I’m trying to avoid using the oven?
Elise, I’m sorry but it doesn’t work in a bread machine. It’s been tried a few times and for some reason, it just doesn’t happen.
Got a hankering for homemade bread late at night… a friend shared this recipe… and I went right out for ingredients. My late night effort was rewarded! Simple, fast, DELICIOUS. Midnight snack for me, breakfast for the kiddos. YUM. Thank you!
Btw, I’m in the Charlotte area too. Three of your favorite restaurants are favorites of mine! We’ve probably crossed paths… next time I’ll squeal and ask for your autograph. 😀
That’s awesome and pumped you live in Charlotte. If you ever see me please be sure to yell:) LOL! Peace.
Awesome, worked perfect. Upper Canada Dark Ale beer bread, yum!
Tyler, that’s so great!!! Canadian Beer = the BEST!
I have been looking for a simple bread recipe for over a year compliant with my whole food plant based diet and this is it! Very simple to make and turns out every time! I could hug you! Thanks!!!
That’s great, Cheryl! So glad you like it. We’re bread junkies around here:)
Thanks for your recipes! I make this bread every week now. Oil free cooking is a must for maintaining healthy arteries!
I used spelt and bread flour for my first attempt. Will experiment with other flours including gluten free.
You are welcome! And, thanks so much for reaching out. So glad you enjoy the bread!!!
Can the beer be substituted? Hubs is in AA, so no alcohol in the house.
Yes! Non-alcoholic works just as well.
Could you use rye flour instead of the wheat?
It should work fine.
WOW! That’s delicious and it was so easy to make. I can’t wait to make more of your recipes!
Thanks so much, Lisa! So glad you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy the other recipes as well. Have a great holiday season!
I’m getting ready to make this amazing looking recipe…..But I’m not sure went to add the honey is it right before you add the beer? Don’t want to mess up a good recipe!
You just add them at same time. It doesn’t matter which you add first. Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks! I will let you know how it turns out!
Can’t wait to hear!
I love this bread! I substituted 12 oz kombucha because I didn’t have any beer! Worked great! LOVE LOVE LOVE the simplicity, too!
Nora, that is awesome! I love to hear about the adaptations and making things work with what you’ve got. That’s what it’s all about. Thanks for sharing. Blessings.
Shane Shane Shane, I am obsessed with this bread! It is soooo easy to make and absolutely NO FAIL. I made it with nonalcoholic beer, added a few teaspoons of chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Put pumpkin seeds at the bottom of the pan and on top of the loaf. I like that it is not yeasty tasting like some other simple loaves and it toasts up deliciously with a nice crunch. Superb!!
Thank you so much, Annette. And, LOVE your additions! Blessings and peace.
wondering what i could use besides beer? ginger ale? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
I’ve not used ginger ale. I know non-alcoholic beer works well.
Making this now!!! Will let you know! I am sure we will love it, I LOVE all of the recipes I have tried so far. I so appreciate your site Shane! You rock!
Thank you so much, Rose. Can’t wait to hear how it goes. Thanks for your support!!!
How much fiber is in this recipe. Thanks.
3.2 grams. I just updated nutrition info so it should say on label now. Thanks!
Best vegan bread I’ve made yet!!! So tasty and so easy! I kept it gluten free by using garbanzo fava, teff and almond flours. For the beer I used Ommission Lager. I added 2 tbsp flaxseeds and 1 tsp xanthan gum. I also subbed coconut nectar for the syrup and No Salt substitute for the salt. So healthy! So delicious! Thank you Shane for another great recipe!!!
Thanks so much, Christina. I love seeing the substitutions people use to make it their own. It makes me happy:) And, thank you for the kind words. Peace.
Hey Christina (and Shane and anyone else with a successful story), I love Shane’s bread, but just recently hubby and I are looking into going Gluten free – may I ask what brand / type flour you used or was this a mix of your own? I even see that Bob’s Mill has 3 or 4 variations (BM Oat Flour, BM Homemade Wonderful Bread Flour, BM 1 to 1 Baking Flour, etc…) We still want this to come out super yummy like the original recipe, Much thanks!
You might want to try gluten-free oat flour. I have found it does well with pancakes, etc.
thx!!
Wow, this HAS to be the easiest bread to make ever! Less than five minutes to put it all together to form a perfect dough. And it was delicious 🙂 This is awesome Shane!
Thanks, Wendy! So glad you enjoyed it.
one teaspoon of salt is 2300mg sodium for the loaf. Have you tried less and been successful?
Jami, it would be 2300mg if you ate the whole loaf. One thick slice(a serving) has 195mg and keep in mind that some of that sodium comes from the baking powder as well. You can try eliminating completely if you want, but not sure of the outcome.
They do have no/low sodium baking powder
https://www.amazon.com/Hain-Foods-Featherweight-Baking-Powder/dp/B004GWW042/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2P7T8L4NZNDXV&keywords=low+sodium+baking+powder+and+soda&qid=1577977465&sprefix=low+sodium+baking+po%2Cdigital-text%2C139&sr=8-5
I made this the other night and we thought it was great! I love that it was SO easy to make – I almost felt like I was missing a step or something because it was in the oven so fast. Thanks!
Wow! Great to hear, Bet. Thanks for letting me know. And, that’s my goal: to make it so easy you almost worry you’ve left something out:) Peace and feast. ~Shane
This bread recipe is exactly what I’ve been looking for….simple and delicious.
Thank you, Shane
Thanks, Mark! Pumped you enjoyed it. Peace & Feast.
O…M…G!!! This bread is amazing! I always thought was super complicated, but you live up to the name “Shane & Simple”. Thank you, thank you, thank you! FAN FOR LIFE!