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Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, this delicious Irish Guinness Bread is a hearty homemade bread made with real Irish beer. The end result is a delicious bread with a slightly twist of sweetness that’s perfect to serve with all your favorite recipes!
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Comforting and easy to make, this homemade Irish brown bread is a great place to start if you’ve never made your own bread before. Featuring dark beer and a comforting, slightly sweet flavor, this dense and hearty bread is so simple to bake.
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Why This Recipe Works
When it comes to bread recipes, this Irish Guinness brown bread is an all time favorite. Most of the ingredients are ones I have on hand at all times, so shopping is super simple and prep is a breeze.
It features real Guinness beer for a signature Irish flavor, and buttermilk also gives it the perfect balance of tender and hearty. Serve this during March for the Saint Patrick’s Day holiday or make it year round for a fantastic side dish.
And if you quick bread recipes, make this No Knead Artisan Bread, or for a sweeter option try a Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread or my Lemon Zucchini Bread!
Ingredients Needed
- Rolled Oats: Give the bread a nice hearty quality and add some visual interest on top.
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Gives the bread a slightly fluffy texture and prevents it from getting too dense.
- Salt
- Melted Butter
- Vanilla: Balances out the heartiness of the bread with some sweet warmth.
- Buttermilk
- Guinness Beer: The regular variety or Guinness extra stout are both great options and will provide slightly different flavors.
How to Make this Irish Guinness Bread
- Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, oats, sugar, baking soda and powder, and salt).
- Step 2: In another large bowl, mix the wet ingredients (butter, vanilla, buttermilk, and Guinness).
- Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until everything is properly combined.
- Step 4: Pour batter into a prepared loaf pan, top with another layer of rolled oats, and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat and bake another 30 minutes, or until slightly golden brown on top.
- Be sure you choose rolled oats and not steel cut. Rolled oats have a much softer texture and if you use steel cut they may be far too chewy.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, combine a cup of whole milk with a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for a couple minutes and then mix well.
- All purpose flour can be substituted for the whole wheat, but the flavor and consistency of your bread might be slightly different.
- Keep your bread at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in a plastic container. It should last several days as long as it’s in a cool and dry place.
- For easy removal from the bread pan, add a layer of parchment paper before you pour in the bread dough.
- After baking, allow the bread to cool on a wire rack to prevent the bottom from getting soggy.
