Name: Vegan Cheese & Chive Beer Bread
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 375 g self-raising flour; 4 tbsp nutritional yeast; 4 tbsp vegan parmesan (grated); 1 tbsp dried chives; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tsp salt; a good grinding of black pepper; 330 ml 1 ½ cups beer

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This easy vegan cheese and chive beer bread is a rustic, savoury loaf with a crisp crust, soft crumb and plenty of cheesy flavour. It's incredibly quick to make, with no yeast, no kneading, and just one bowl, making it perfect for anyone new to breadmaking.

The beer helps give the loaf its distinctive flavour and texture, while vegan parmesan, nutritional yeast (nooch) and oniony chives make it deliciously savoury. Serve it slathered with this tasty Vegetable Cream Cheese or to dunk in this Grated Carrot Soup.

Sliced cheese and chive beer bread on a wooden board

Because there's no waiting for yeast to rise, you can have this homemade bread ready for lunch or dinner with very little effort.

At-a-Glance - Cheese & Chive Bread

⏲️ Ready in: 50 minutes
👪 Serves: 10
🍽 Calories: 174
🧾 Main ingredients: Self-raising flour, nutritional yeast (nooch), vegan parmesan, brown sugar, chives & beer or lager
👩🏻‍🍳 Suitable for: Vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian

⭐ No yeast | No kneading | One bowl

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💭 Why Doesn't Beer Bread Need Yeast?

Traditional homemade bread like this Bloomers Bread relies on yeast to ferment and help the dough rise, but this quick beer bread uses self-raising flour instead. The beer provides liquid, flavour and some natural carbonation (bubbles), while the raising agents in the flour do most of the work when it comes to making the bread rise.

So although this beer bread is a proper loaf of bread, you don't need a long kneading and proving time. Quickly mix the ingredients, add the dough to a lined loaf tin and bake; that's it.

👩🏻‍🍳 You don't knead beer bread dough

You don't need to develop gluten in the dough the way you do for a traditional loaf of bread. This is a quick bread, so the simple ingredients are gently combined and baked in a loaf tin in the oven.

In fact, overmixing is one of the easiest ways to end up with a dense beer bread.

Jac's Top Tip

💭 Just fold the wet ingredients in

Once you add the beer, quickly fold the mixture together until there are no large patches of dry flour, a few small floury streaks are fine.

📋 What You Need

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this vegan cheese bread.

The recipe card has the full ingredient list and method.

Ingredients for cheese and chive beer bread including beer, flour, sugar, cheese and chives.

Self-raising flour - you can use plain flour (all-purpose flour) and 1 tablespoon of baking powder instead
Beer - you can use lager instead of beer
Chives - you can use fresh or dried herbs
Vegan parmesan - if you don't have Vegan Parmesan add extra nooch and some English mustard powder instead

🍞 WHat does Cheese Beer Bread Taste like?

This isn't a sweet bread; it's a savoury loaf with a cheesy flavour, a rustic crust and a soft, slightly dense crumb. The beer adds depth to the flavour but no alcohol flavour. The dried chives add a gentle onion flavour to the loaf.

🍺 Which Beer is best for Beer Bread

A light beer, lager, or ale works best. You don't need an expensive craft beer; use whatever you have or whatever is on special offer.

A stronger or darker beer like a stout or Guinness will give a stronger malty flavour that not everyone likes.

Always check the label to see if it is vegan, as not all beer or lager is suitable for vegans.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to make Vegan Cheese Beer Bread

A few step-by-step photos to show you how easy it is to make this cheesy beer bread. The full ingredient list and method is in the recipe card.

Step 1

Step 1 - Preheat the oven then add the flour and vegan parmesan to a large mixing bowl.

Step 2

Step 2 - Now add the nutritional yeast (nooch), herbs, and salt.

Step 3

Step 3 - Mix the dry ingredients together and pour in the beer or lager, then fold in until just combined.

Step 4

Step 4 - Pour the soft dough into a greased or lined loaf tin. Top with a generous dusting of flour.

Step 5

Step 5 - Bake until golden, then cool, slice and serve. Enjoy!

making cheese & chive beer bread step 6 - back until golden.

🍞 How do you know the Beer Bread is Baked?

Once baked, the loaf should be golden brown and firm on top. If you carefully remove it from the tin and tap the bottom, it should sound hollow.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for a while, then remove it and let it finish cooling on a baking rack. Don't cut it until it is cool; cutting while hot can make the bread seem gummy.

🍞 WHat to serve with beer bread

With Soup	Toasted	For a Quick Lunch
Vegan Broccoli & Pea Soup	Vegan Butter	Vegan Cream Cheese & Marinated Tomatoes
Mushroom & Dill Soup	Vegetable Cream Cheese	Avocado & Tomato
Vegan Tomato Soup	Lentil Peanut Pate	Vegan Cheese & Chutney
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup	Roasted Red Pepper Hummus	Cream Cheese & Cucumber
Parsnip & Apple Soup	Pesto	White Bean Pate

💭 How to Store Beer Bread

Beer bread is best on the day it's baked, when the crust is crisp, and the inside is soft. Once completely cool, store it in an airtight container and use within 2-3 days.

On the second and third day, it will lose its freshness, but it makes great toast.

To freeze, slice, wrap and store in a labelled and dated freezer bag. You can toast the bread straight out of the freezer; no need to defrost it first.

🍞 More Vegan Breads to Try Next

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