Make delicious soda bread with Guinness in just 15 minutes! No need to wait for it to rise. This simple recipe makes a crusty loaf that's great for St. Patrick’s Day or any other busy day.
Soda bread is the easiest kind of bread you could possibly make, and this recipe for soda bread with Guinness is no exception. There is no need for kneading or waiting for the dough to rise. Just mix simple ingredients in a bowl and mix them with a spoon.
The Guinness soda bread is perfect for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day or busy days when you need something quick and delicious.
And the best part? You can eat it with anything! Its hearty texture and delicious flavor are perfect with Irish stew, soup, or butter and jam for breakfast. It's so versatile! You can even serve Guinness bread as a snack with cheese or hummus.
Try it with Hummus without Garlic, Pickle Egg Salad, 4-Ingredient Potato Soup, or Panera Black Bean Soup.
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📋Recipe ingredients
- Flour: Use a combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. Alternatively, use spelt flour but increase the buttermilk amount slightly (See Recipe FAQs).
- Guinness beer: The special thing about this Irish brown bread is the famous Irish stout. You can use Guinness Extra Stout or Guinness Draught in this recipe. Make the Guinness Cottage Pie or Guinness Chicken, too.
- Oats: Old-fashioned or jumbo oats are best for baking this soda bread. Don't use quick-cooking oats or instant oats.
- Black treacle or, alternatively, molasses for a very slightly sweet flavor, darker color, and depth.
- Baking soda and buttermilk work together to make soda bread rise. Their reaction produces gases that cause the bread to rise during baking, resulting in a lighter texture.
- Make more quick bread recipes, such as Soda Bread without Buttermilk. And try Cornbread without Buttermilk next!
- Other ingredients: Butter and fine sea salt or kosher salt.
See the recipe card for detailed instructions and full information on ingredients and quantities.
🧂Variations on the recipe
- Flour: Use spelt instead of wheat flour. Spelt flour has a slightly nutty flavor.
- Seeds: Mix sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, and flax seeds into the dough. Brush a little milk on top of the dough and sprinkle more seeds before baking. I also like to add around 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds for extra flavor.
- Add cheese: For instance, add tiny pieces of Cheddar to the bread dough. You can also sprinkle the formed loaf with grated cheese before baking.
👩🏻🍳How to make Guinness soda bread?
Step 1: Sift wholemeal flour and white flour into a large mixing bowl. Add oats, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.
Step #2: Rub in the butter. Use your hands.
Step #3: Add buttermilk, stout beer, and treacle.
Step #4: Stir well until all the flour mixture is wet and no dry spots are left. Don’t over-mix.
Step #5: Shape the dough into a round on a lightly floured surface.
Step #6: Place it on the prepared baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Step #7: Make a deep cross-cut into the loaf (about 5cm deep from the base) with a sharp knife.
Step #8: Bake in the hot oven for 50-55 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped.
🔊Expert Tips
Measurements: The recipe for the soda bread with Guinness was tested using metric and cup measurements. Yet, I recommend using a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab) for the best results. Each person's personal way of measuring flour in a cup can impact the outcome of the recipe.
Flour: While traditional Irish soda bread uses wheat flour, I often bake this loaf using whole spelt and white spelt flour. In this case, I add 3 tablespoons of buttermilk to the dough, as spelt flour absorbs more liquid.
Room temperature: Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature before mixing to promote even incorporation and a better rise in the bread.
Don't overmix: When combining the ingredients, mix until just combined. Overmixing can lead to a tough texture in the finished bread.
❓Recipe FAQs
While Guinness beer adds a unique flavor to the soda bread, you can try another dark beer. However, remember that it may alter the final product's taste.
If you don't have buttermilk, you can make a substitute by adding 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to ¾ cup (175 ml) of regular milk. Let the homemade buttermilk sit for 5-10 minutes until it thickens slightly.
You can substitute it with molasses or dark corn syrup, although the flavor may differ slightly.
Any type of soda bread is best enjoyed fresh on the day it is baked. However, it can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.
Freeze: Wrap the whole loaf or individual slices tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container. You can freeze them for up to 1-2 months. To defrost, simply leave them on the counter.
🍽️How to serve it?
The Guinness soda bread should be enjoyed fresh, warm, or at room temperature. Let it cool on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes before slicing it.
Serve with any soup or stew you like, such as our Carrot and Broccoli Soup. You can also serve it as a side dish for Asparagus and Eggs.
It is delicious with just butter and jam, with Butter Bean Hummus, or with Cottage Cheese Dip and veggie slices.
Use it to make sandwiches, like our Turkey Sandwiches, Cottage Cheese Toast, or Spicy Tuna Sandwiches.
🍀St. Patrick’s Day menu
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📖 Recipe
Soda Bread with Guinness
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour 250 g Notes 1, 2
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour 225 g
- 2 tablespoons butter 30 g
- ¾ cup oats 75 g, Note 3
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt or kosher salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk room temperature, 175 ml, Note 4
- ¾ cup Guinness room temperature, 175 ml
- 3 tablespoons black treacle 60 g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/ 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dry ingredients: Sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the oats, baking soda, and salt and stir to combine. Rub in the butter with your hands.2 cups whole wheat flour / 250 g + 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour / 225 g + ¾ cup oats / 75 g + 1 teaspoon baking soda + 2 teaspoons fine sea salt + 2 tablespoons butter
- Dough: Add buttermilk, Guinness, and treacle. Stir well until all the dry flour is wet and no dry spots are left. Avoid over-mixing, as it can lead to a dense texture and hinder the bread's proper rising.¾ cup buttermilk / 175 ml + ¾ cup Guinness / 175 ml + 3 tablespoons black treacle
- Shape: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a round with your floured hands.
- Cut: Place it onto the prepared baking sheet. With a sharp knife, make a deep cross-cut into the loaf (about 5cm deep from the base).
- Bake for 50-55 minutes. Check by tapping the bread on the underside; it should sound hollow. Transfer it to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Measurements: The recipe was tested using both metric measurements and cups, but still, I always recommend using a digital kitchen scale (the Amazon link opens in a new tab) in baking; it guarantees the best results. Measuring flour in cups is tricky; you might fill them looser or tighter than I do, which will make a difference.
- Flour: You can replace whole wheat flour with whole wheat spelt flour and all-purpose flour with white spelt flour. In this case, add 3 extra tablespoons of buttermilk to the dough.
- Preferably jumbo oats/old-fashioned oats. Not instant or quick-cook oats.
- To make buttermilk, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to ¾ cups (175 ml) of milk and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it thickens slightly.
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