Over the course of the pandemic, there seemed to be waves of various hobbies popping up across social media. People looking to connect with others online flocked to trending games, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Among Us, and Jackbox. Others cozied up and binged “Tiger King,” “Squid Games,” or- my personal favorite- “The Circle.” Many of my friends fell into the TikTok hole, captivated by viral trends and dances, cute cat videos, and a seemingly endless plethora of recipe ideas.

I’ll admit- those food trends that waxed and waned across my “For You Page” were pretty tantalizing at times. But soaring popularity comes with a spike in demand. I remember a former co-worker griping about how she wanted to try a viral feta pasta bake, but several nearby supermarkets were fresh out of feta. Earlier in the pandemic, demand for bread-baking staples also drained local grocery stores. People who missed those sourdough starter boats charted into other waters. Focaccia art became a sensation for some time, allowing people the simple pleasure of making a no-knead bread while also allowing them to get creative.

focaccia

(Focaccia made by my sister, Andrea.)

While I do love a good focaccia, I wanted to make something even easier. If I was in the mood for warm, fresh-baked bread, I didn’t have the patience to go the traditional route. I wanted something without a wait time, or rise time, or any of that mess. And I didn’t think it was possible… until I stumbled across a Facebook post about beer bread.

The magic of beer bread is pretty straightforward: in lieu of yeast and water, beer acts as both a binding and rising agent when mixed with dry ingredients. Seemed simple enough. Worst case scenario, I’d be short 1 bottle of quarantine beer.

But something strange happened just minutes after I popped the bread into the oven- my whole apartment began to smell like pizza.

I was baffled. I had put maybe a sprinkle of oregano in the batter (along with onion & garlic powder), but I knew those ingredients alone couldn’t possibly be responsible for the fact that my apartment was one line cook away from becoming an authentic pizza joint.

Even more surprising? The end result. Bear in mind, I used all-purpose flour during this initial batch- so this was already a fairly dense dough. But somehow, flavor came through with every bite. There was a delightful sweetness, compounded with notes of the beer that didn’t make it taste like I was eating a solid beer loaf. One bite in, I was perplexed. Two bites in, I had an idea.

Instead of butter, I spread a schmear of marinara sauce on my next slice, topping it off with a healthy amount of parmesan cheese.

It was so good, I made it again the next weekend. And the weekend after that. I cranked out loaves of pizza beer bread until I eventually ran out of flour.

A few months ago, I accidentally used the wrong measuring cup and put in about half the amount of flour needed for the recipe. That made the bread much lighter, comparable to a cake made from a box mix. So if you’re more inclined to snack on airier bread, make the same mistake that I did.

Otherwise, here’s what you’ll need to make Pizza Beer Bread:

 

Ingredients:

-3 cups all-purpose flour

-1/3 cup sugar

-1 tbsp salt

-1 bottle or can of beer (I prefer a Pilsner, but use whichever beer you like)

-ground pepper (to taste)

-onion powder (to taste)

-garlic powder (to taste)

-oregano (to taste)

-grated parmesan cheese (to taste)

-4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter

-marinara or pizza sauce

-flaky sea salt (optional)

 

Tools:

-large mixing bowl

-small microwave safe bowl

-wooden spoon

-loaf pan or cake pan

-sifter

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350° F with a rack in the upper third.

Measure 3 cups of flour into sifter, then sift into large mixing bowl.

Add dry ingredients: sugar, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, & parmesan cheese.

Add beer, stir until just combined.

In a small microwave safe bowl, melt butter for 30 seconds.

Pour half of the melted butter into the loaf pan- just enough to coat the bottom.

Add dough mixture, spread evenly.

Drizzle remaining butter on top of dough, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, oregano, and flaky sea salt.

Bake on top oven rack for 50 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes, serve slices with marinara/pizza sauce and parmesan cheese on top.

Enjoy!