How Do I Make Beer Bread Rise Higher

[mrfun]

I am new to baking. I'm trying to bake beer bread and have tried three different recipes. Two recipes are with 3 teaspoons of baking soda, one teaspoon of salt, one quarter cup of sugar and three cups of regular flour (the second recipe is the same, but with whole wheat flour). The third recipe was with three cups of self rising flour and three tablespoons of sugar only. No salt or baking soda. With all three recipes, you add 12 ounces of beer to the dry ingredients, mix and bake at 375 for an hour.

All three tasted good, but each had some drawbacks. The top crust of the one with regular flour "parted" leaving a gigantic crevice in the crust which makes it look unappetising and creates an irregular slice of bread. Good taste, rose high in the pan, dense, fairly moist, the crevice was the main problem.

The one with whole wheat flour was had a "parted" top crust also, but not as severe as the regular flour. It tasted good, was a more yellow color, of course, rose nice and high and was the most moist by far of the other two.

The third one with self rising flour had the most beautiful, perfect even brown crust you ever saw, good taste, not particularly moist, but okay. It was the best looking loaf of them all, but with one huge downfall. It only rose to about half of the height of the pan. It didn't rise like the other two. Of the three, I liked this one the best, but I need it to rise to normal height and also be more moist, if possible. What do you all suggest?

Would adding baking soda to the mix help? If so, how much? By the way, pardon my ignorance, but what is the difference between baking soda and baking powder? Thank you to all who respond.

[qahtan]

This is the bread I made with ale instead of water, but it is yeasted bread , I see you are useing self raising flour. Mine is bread flour or all purpose.
qahtan

[KyleW]

The cracking can have a number of causes. The gases inside the loaf are going to escape and will find the path of least resistance. You can try and control it by "docking" you loaf before baking. Just before you put it in the oven, make a 1/4" slice down the length of the loaf. If you provide the gas with an exit path, it might not make its own.

As to baking soda v. baking powder, baking soda is a 'base'. It needs an acid in order to react and provide leavening. The acid can be something like buttermilk. Baking powder is baking soda combined with an acid, like cream of tartar. Because it brings its own acid to the party you don;t have to worry about adding any additional acid to the recipe.