If you're looking for an authentic Irish recipe to serve on St. Patrick's Day, look no further than Guinness Bread. Who doesn't love freshly baked bread? An Irish brown bread that is easy to make and a fun way to enjoy the Irish holiday!
Preheat the oven to 450° F (230° C) and brush a 1 pound loaf pan (roughly 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75) pan with melted butter (I melt an extra tablespoon of butter, when melting for the bread.
In a large bowl combine the whole wheat flour (2 ¼ cups), oats (1 cup), all-purpose flour (¼ cup), dark brown sugar (¼ cup), kosher salt (2 tsp), baking soda (2 ¼ tsp), and baking powder (1 tsp).
Make a well in the dry ingredients, then pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Add Guinness (11-12 oz), melted butter (5 TBL), buttermilk (1 cup), and molasses (2 TBL), vanilla (1 tsp) stirring well until combined and no streaks of flour remain. It will be the consistency of a thick cake batter.
Transfer the beer bread batter to your prepared baking pan (filling no further than ¾ full). Smooth the top and then sprinkle with additional oats (about 1 TBL) for an authentic look.
Place pan on a baking sheet (just in case it overflows) and put bread in oven, immediately turning the temperature down to 400° F (205° C), and bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the bread onto a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing. It’s important to cool breads before slicing, as breads continue cooking as they cool.
If warm bread is desired (and who doesn’t love warm bread?), once it has cooled, place the desired number of slices wrapped in foil in a 350°F (175° C) oven for 15 minutes. Serve warm, slathered with salted Irish cream butter or with a little jam or preserves.
Delicious served toasted or cold with Irish salted butter and jam if desired.
Notes
*Make sure your bottle of beer is 12 ounces; if using a canned Guinness they are larger, so pour into a measuring cup, and measure out 11-12 ounces; more will make the batter too soupy. Enjoy the res with your bread! High Altitude Irish Brown BreadI bake at 5280 feet above sea level, but this easy beer bread recipe has been tested at sea level as well.
Reduce Baking Soda to 2 teaspoons.
Reduce baking powder to ½ teaspoons
If above 7500 feet, you may need to increase buttermilk by two tablespoons.
Preheat oven to 450° F and reduce to 400° F (205° C) once you add the Guinness bread to the oven. Check on your brown bread at about 35 minutes.
Storage Tips
Store completely cooled bread in a plastic bag or breadkeeper up to 3 days on the counter, up to 7 days in the fridge. Or freeze individually wrapped slices, removing as needed. May be frozen if well wrapped up to 6 months.
Variations & Substitutions
Vegan Guinness Bread | Replace the melted butter with oil or your favorite plant-based melted butter. Make your own plant-based buttermilk, by using your favorite plant-based drink and adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar, stir and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before using.
Buttermilk Substitute | I like using whole milk buttermilk for my baking, as the extra fat actually helps bind the ingredients, especially when using eggs. But it can be hard to find at times, you can make your own buttermilk by placing a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into a 1 cup measuring cup, then add your favorite milk, stir and allow to sit 5-10 minutes.
Use your favorite stout beer.
Whole wheat flour may be replaced with stoneground whole wheat flour
Add up to ¼ cup of dark brown sugar to the batter if sweeter bread is desired.
How to warm bread: My favorite way to warm cooled bread is to wrap the desired number of slices in aluminum foil and place in a 325-350° F (175° C) oven for 15 minutes or so.This recipe has been adapted from Ina Garten’s Irish Guinness Brown Bread.