Malty, with hints of coffee and cocoa, this Irish Guinness brown bread is a popular, modern spin on traditional Irish brown soda bread. Irish soda bread is a type of quick bread that doesn’t need fermenting or a long rising time, instead relying on baking soda and buttermilk for a quick rise. From start to finish in less than an hour, this modern version of Irish brown soda bread is packed with subtle flavors that’ll make it a new favorite.
Irish Guinness brown bread is a popular twist on the traditional brown (wheaten) soda bread in Ireland. With a craggy crust and dark, almost cake like interior, with a slightly bitter yet subtly sweet flavor, it’s no wonder that this brown bread has become so popular at pubs all over Ireland. In this version, Guinness stout beer replaces some of the buttermilk traditionally used for both flavor and an acid to react with the baking soda. This version is also a little wetter of a dough compared to traditional Irish soda bread, so is cooked in a loaf pan instead of the freeform, boule shape commonly seen with Irish soda breads.
Everyone that knows me, knows I love cooking with Guinness, it’s seriously one of the best beers for both savory and sweet applications. Guinness gives food a subtle flavor of coffee and cocoa, as well as an almost nutty, malt like taste that works well in a lot of situations. I’ve had amazing Guinness brownies, chocolate cakes, ginger cakes, as well as savory foods like Guinness Irish stew and my own Guinness braised pulled pork.
Origin of Irish Soda Bread
While similar breads were made long before Irish soda bread became a thing, Ireland usually gets the claim to fame because of the various needs at the time that made this bread so popular. Native Americans and other cultures had made similar breads made with potash for a long time, but the invention and commercialization of bread soda (baking soda) in the early 1800s made for a cheap and less perishable alternative to yeast.
Irish whole wheat flour was made with soft wheat, which made it less effective with yeast for making bread. For a proper bake, yeasted bread also did best when cooked in an oven, which most Irish people didn’t own in the 1800s. Baking soda remedied both limitations by giving the dough a quick rise and the ability to be cooked in pots over a fire.
Another contribution to the rise of soda bread in Ireland came from the Great Famine in the mid-1800s. By the early 1800s, the potato had become a staple in the Irish diet, and when the potato blight happened, it led to mass starvation. As an alternative for nourishment, soda bread was a great option since baking soda was cheap and most farmers had access to buttermilk from making butter and flour from wheat crops.
Ingredients for Irish Guinness Brown Bread
Flour – Authentic Irish soda bread is made with whole wheat flour, but the kind in Ireland is made from soft wheat and is a lower protein than the whole wheat flour made in the US from hard winter wheat. If you can get some Irish whole wheat, use that for sure, but here we’ll be using regular whole wheat and cut it with some cake flour (or unbleached all-purpose) to soften the flavor and protein amount.
Oats – Optional, but some rolled oats add a nice texture and flavor to the bread. Add some to the batter itself, and then cover the top of the bread with some more right before baking. In Ireland, porridge oats are used, and in the US, you can use steel-cut, old-fashioned rolled oats, or quick-cooking oats, but don’t use instant oats.
Salt – Use a bit of kosher salt here to help bring out and balance the flavors.
Baking Soda & Powder – Traditionally you only need baking soda, but I add a little baking powder here as well for a little better rise and not moving quickly enough won’t be the end of the world. Baking soda needs an acid to activate it, which is where the buttermilk comes into play.
Buttermilk – Buttermilk adds a nice, tangy flavor to the bread, but most importantly, it activates the baking soda because of its acidity and gives the bread its needed rise in place of yeast.
Guinness – In this version of soda bread, Guinness stout beer replaces some of the buttermilk. The acidity helps activate the baking soda, add the beer adds a great flavor. I prefer Guinness Draught, but extra stout is also a good choice. If you don’t like Guinness, you can use another stout beer you prefer, but if you just want to avoid alcohol altogether, you can replace it with more buttermilk instead. Guinness also makes a Guinness Zero if you want to try that.
Butter – Add a little butter (or oil) for flavor and to enrich the dough. It also adds a little more fat to help keep the bread moist.
Molasses or Treacle – Traditionally, the bread is sweetened with black treacle (which also helps contribute to the dark color) but is harder to find in the US. The lighter version, called golden syrup, is a little more available. While you can order black treacle online, here we’re going to replace it with molasses and a bit of dark brown sugar. Molasses and treacle are both byproducts of cane sugar refinement, but molasses is boiled a little longer and therefore slightly more bitter and less sweet than its treacle counterpart.
Sugar – You don’t have to make this with sugar, but if you use molasses instead of black treacle, I recommend adding some dark brown sugar (light brown is fine if that’s all you tend to keep around). Molasses is a little more bitter and less sweet than black treacle, so a little sugar helps balance things out.
How to Make Irish Guinness Brown Bread
The recipe is fairly simple: mix the dry stuff, mix the wet stuff, mix together, dump into loaf pan and bake. Without the need for a long rise, the whole recipe can be done in less than an hour.
Preheat your oven to 400°F / 205°C and line or butter a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.
In a large measuring cup or mixing bowl, mix the Guinness, buttermilk, melted butter, and molasses. In another large mixing bowl, add the flours, most of the oats, salt, dark brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together until everything is well combined and make a well in the center.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a stiff spatula or wooden spoon. Just mix until there’s no visible dry flour pockets. The dough will be wet.
Pour the dough into your prepared 9x5 loaf pan and bake for about 40 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out dry. Allow to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Remove from the loaf pan and continue cooling on a wire rack.
Slice and serve while warm with some salted Irish butter or jam. Also goes great with some coffee or tea (or more Guinness!). Also goes great with some Guinness Irish stew.
How to Store Irish Guinness Brown Bread
Like other soda breads, Irish Guinness brown bread is best the day it is made. You can store it in a sealed bag or plastic wrap at room temperature for about 2-3 days though.
You can also freeze the bread for 4-6 months. I’d recommend slicing the cooled bread and then wrapping it in plastic wrap and again in aluminum foil, unless you plan on thawing and using the entire loaf at once.
📋 Recipe
Irish Guinness Brown Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour, see note
- ½ cup cake flour, see note
- 1 cup rolled oats, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ cups Guinness stout, at room temperature, see note
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons molasses, see note
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed, see note
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F / 205°C and line or butter a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.
- In a large measuring cup or mixing bowl, mix the 1 ½ cups Guinness, 1 cup buttermilk, 4 tablespoons melted butter, and 2 tablespoons molasses. In another large mixing bowl, add 2 cups whole wheat flour, ½ cup cake flour, ¾ cup rolled oats, 2 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ cup dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 2 teaspoons baking soda. Whisk together until everything is well combined and make a well in the center.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a stiff spatula or wooden spoon. Just mix until there’s no visible dry flour pockets. The dough will be wet.
- Pour the dough into your prepared 9x5 loaf pan and bake for about 40 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out dry. Allow to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Remove from the loaf pan and continue cooling on a wire rack.
- Slice and serve while warm with some salted Irish butter or jam. Also goes great with some coffee or tea (or more Guinness!). Also goes great with some Guinness Irish stew.
Equipment Used
Notes
Your Notes
Nutrition
Nico
Hoorah, this was absolutely delicious!!! I had treacle on hand so I didn't need to use the brown sugar, and the end result was exactly what I'd hoped for & anticipated. It's a struggle to regularly find here in London bakeries & restaurants despite being one of the best types of bread ever. Thank you for this recipe, it's a definite keeper!!
Chris Pezzana
Hoorah! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and that it came out like you'd hoped for. Thank you for the comment~