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Guinness Irish Brown Bread Recipe

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! 

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 9 slices
Calories: 271 kcal
Course: Bread
Cuisine: British , Irish

Ingredients

  • 11-12 ounces Guinness Stout or another Irish Stout beer, room temperature
  • 5 tablespoons butter melted + extra to brush the pan
  • 1 cup whole buttermilk shaken, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons molasses or black treacle
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cups stone ground whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats I used McCann’s quick-cooking oats, don’t use instant, but old-fashioned rolled oats may be used
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour I used organic unbleached flour all-purpose flour
  • 2-4 tablespoons brown sugar lightly packed (dark or light)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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 Bread
  • I bake at 5280 feet above sea level, but this easy beer bread recipe has been tested at sea level as well.
  • Variations & Substitutions
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Nutrition Information

Serving 11 serving Calories 271kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 42g (14%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 9g (14%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Trans Fat 0.3g Cholesterol 20mg (7%) Sodium 920mg (38%) Potassium 257mg (7%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 11g (22%) Vitamin A 241IU (5%) Calcium 89mg (9%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 9slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 271

% Daily Value*

Serving 11 serving
Calories 271kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 42g 14%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 9g 14%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 2g 10%
Trans Fat 0.3g 15%
Cholesterol 20mg 7%
Sodium 920mg 38%
Potassium 257mg 5%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 11g 22%
Vitamin A 241IU 5%
Calcium 89mg 9%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.