Hearty, chewy, and a little bit sweet, this easy, quick bread is one of my favorites for serving with stews and thick soups.
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- Guinness Irish soda bread is one of my favorite beer breads with a hearty texture and lots of malty, nutty flavor!
- Ready in under an hour, Guinness bread is a great recipe for St. Patrick's Day breakfast, brunch, or alongside Irish beef stew for dinner.
- This non-yeasted bread uses baking powder, baking soda, and bubbly beer to make the bread rise-no proofing required!
Wholesome and flavorful, Irish brown bread is one of the best quick bread recipes ever!
The combination of rich whole grains, punchy Guinness stout, and a slight caramel sweetness from the brown sugar is both delicious and satisfying!
Got some Guinness leftover? Make this moist, dense Guinness Fudge Bundt Cake with a rich ganach glaze.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. The full measurements and instructions are in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- Feel free to substitute the old-fashioned rolled oats with quick oats or steel-cut oats.
- Use dark brown sugar for a more robust flavor. You can easily make it yourself by mixing ½ tablespoon molasses or black treacle into ½ cup of light brown sugar.
- I prefer to use unsalted butter in baking. If you use salted butter, make sure you reduce the amount of kosher salt by about ⅛ teaspoon.
- You can replace the bottle of Guinness Extra Stout or Guinness Draught with another dark stout beer, such as oatmeal stout.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Mix the melted butter with the ice cold liquids.
Add beaten egg.
Mix in dry ingredients. Shape then brush with egg wash.
Cut a cross in the top. Sprinkle with oatmeal. Bake.
🍴 Equipment
- Large
mixing bowl - Cast iron skillet
- Sharp knife
🎥 Video
🥫 How to store leftovers
Like any homemade bread, Irish Guinness brown bread is best eaten fresh the same day it's made.
However, you can use a breadbox or wrap leftover bread in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for a day or two. Feel free to enjoy it at room temperature or warm it up in the toaster.
Refrigerating this bread will make the texture gummy, so I don't recommend it. On the other hand, you can wrap individual slices of bread in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze them in a freezer bag for up to three months.
Let frozen bread thaw at room temperature before toasting.
Expert tip:
You need a mixture of whole wheat flour and white flour for the best results. All-purpose flour alone won't produce the same hearty texture and flavor. Trust me-after the first bite, you'll understand why!
💭 Things to know
- It goes without saying, but try to use real buttermilk in baking recipes. Regular milk mixed with lemon juice or vinegar works in a pinch, though.
- When the melted butter is added to the cold buttermilk, small globules will form-don't panic! That's exactly what you want.
- Use a wooden spoon to mix the dough by hand until just combined rather than an electric mixer. Overmixing the bread dough will make it tough.
- You'll need a very sharp knife to slash the top of the loaf with a cross and poke each quarter. This allows the bread to expand and rise evenly in the oven and release steam.
- Brush your loaf with egg wash and sprinkle additional oats on top before baking for a finished look.
- Make sure you grease your cast iron skillet before adding the dough so the bottom of the bread doesn't burn.
- Irish Guinness bread is finished baking when the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Resist the urge to cut into your loaf until it has cooled completely on a wire rack. Otherwise, the dough will crumble.
- Enjoy warm slices of brown bread with Irish butter and honey for breakfast, or serve it with a hearty Irish stew.
👩🍳 FAQs
Irish brown bread is a quick bread that uses baking soda as the leavening agent, similar to Irish soda bread. However, Irish Guinness brown bread is made with stone ground whole wheat flour, Irish porridge oats, molasses, and Guinness Irish stout.
You can substitute the Guinness beer with another dark stout beer like oatmeal stout, Imperial stout, or even a milk stout. Feel free to use your favorite!
I can't recommend it since I haven't tested this recipe with a loaf pan. If you make this bread in a 9x5-inch loaf pan, you'll need to reduce the oven temperature and increase the baking time since it will be a thicker loaf.
Absolutely! I recommend wrapping individual slices of bread in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and then storing them in a freezer bag for easy thawing. Otherwise, wrap up a whole section of the uncut loaf. You can freeze bread for up to three months!
📚 Related recipes
- Traditional Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread baked to crusty perfection with a tender crumb that makes your house smell amazing!
- The crumbly crust, citrusy sweet flavor, and buttery soft interior make my Lemon Lavender Irish Soda Bread perfect for tea or an afternoon snack.
- My No Knead Beer Bread Recipe is a chewy, nutty, slightly sweet bread that can either be made with yeast or baking powder-your pick!
🍽️ Serve with...
Enjoy a warm slice of Irish Guinness bread with a steaming bowl of Slow Cooker Beef Stew-my secret ingredient is a packet of onion soup mix!
It's also delicious with Dill Pickle Soup!
Easy and creamy, my Bailey's Irish Temper Irish Coffee is made with spiced rum for an extra kick of boozy flavor.
Keep the Irish theme going with a slice of Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake for dessert-the thick layer of chocolate ganache on top is so decadent!
📞 The last word
This is one of my favorite breads. It tastes similar to the brown bread at Outback Steak House. It's slightly sweet, soft, and has a nutty flavor from the whole grains.
Honestly, I like it any time of the year - it compliments so many dishes. My favorite way is to spread some cream cheese on it. YUM!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card, you can adjust the measurements up or down to the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Guinness Irish Soda Bread
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup rolled oats, or quick oats (not instant) more for top
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup buttermilk, icy cold
- ⅔ cup Guinness extra stout, cold
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
- non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spray a cast iron skillet with no-stick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, add dry ingredients, whole wheat flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Melt the butter and stir into the buttermilk. Small globules of butter will form- this is what we want.
- Stir in the Guinness. Set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk the eggs until the yolks and whites are completely mixed.
- Stir in the buttermilk mixture.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
- Add the egg-buttermilk mixture into the well of the dry ingredients.
- Stir gently to combine the ingredients.
- Gently roll out the dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough gently for a few minutes.
- Shape into a round loaf and place in the cast iron skillet.
- Slash the top into the shape of a cross.
- Poke each quarter of the dough with a sharp knife to 'let the fairies out'.
- Mix the egg yolk and water.
- Brush the top with egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of the oats.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes.
- Check to see if the bread is done by placing an instant read thermometer into the center of the loaf. It will read 200F when done.
- Let cool completely before slicing or it will be crumbly.
Notes
- No buttermilk? Mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with 1 cup milk and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Don't overmix the dough.
- Irish Guinness bread is finished baking when the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Pin for later
Save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board to keep it handy!
Mich says
Saw this recipe on Brandie's Country Cook Weekend Potluck blog - YOU HAD ME AT GUINNESS EXTRA STOUT - can't wait to make this & I'll leave feedback when I do! Thank you for the recipe, it looks WONDERFUL!
Esme Slabbert says
I need to give Irish soda bread a try.,
I visited you via The Country Cook: OLD-FASHIONED SLOPPY JOES – WEEKEND POTLUCK #622
My links: Delicious Homemade Apple Hand Pies and Brioche Bread
We will be delighted if you share your blog post links with us at SSPS. Link under BLOGGING