Who doesn’t have a can or bottle of beer lurking somewhere in the fridge? Well of course non-drinkers won’t but rest assured the alcohol evaporates entirely, leaving you with a wonderful, fragrant and almost cake-like loaf of bread that’s ridiculously easy to make.

With its crunchy crust and crumbly texture, this would be absolutely perfect served with a bowl of chili or soup.

I also recommend eating it still warm from the oven, smothered in lashings of butter.

It’s important to use a pale ale or lager beer, such as Blue Moon Belgian White and trying to be creative, I used maple syrup crystals instead of sugar but there wasn’t any discernible difference in the overall flavor so use regular sugar, it’s less expensive!

This recipe comes courtesy of a friend who’s a chef; thanks Tracey!

Here it is – the easiest, no-rise bread imaginable…

Beer Bread

BEER BREAD

(Makes one 9 x 5in / 22.8 x 12.7cm loaf)

Ingredients:

3 cups / 360g of multi-purpose unbleached organic flour

1/4 cup / 50g of organic cane sugar

1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt

3 teaspoons of baking powder

1 bottle / can of light ale, beer or lager

1/4 cup of butter, melted

Action:

Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C.

Line a loaf pan with baking parchment then spray with oil.

Sift all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Using a large balloon whisk, whisk gently to ensure everything is completely combined.

Pour in the beer. It will foam up but stir until you have moist clumps and it’s just holding together.

Tip into the loaf pan and pour the melted butter all over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45-60 minutes until you have a light golden crust.

Immediately turn the loaf out of the pan onto a cooling rack to ensure you have a crunchy crust.

It may be hard to resist but wait a bit before cutting into it – you need it to firm slightly.