Soda Bread with Guinness

Whip up tasty Guinness soda bread in 15 minutes! No rise time is needed. This easy recipe is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any busy day.

Course Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine Irish

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 202kcal

Author Adina

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.

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.