Guinness bread is a quick no knead no yeast bread that goes with all kinds of cozy soups and stews. We love it toasted with marmalade for breakfast, and it’s a must for St. Patrick’s Day!
Guinness oatmeal bread is a game changer!
Have you got a couple of minutes? Why not make this almost too good to be true Guinness bread? Just whisk a few ingredients together in a bowl, pour in a bottle of Guinness, and stir it up. That’s all you need to do! It sounds crazy but the results speak for themselves. (You’ll have just enough time to fix yourself a cup of tea!)
Everyone who tasted this beer bread during our testing phase agreed, it’s a winner. And we used it in so many ways ~ sometimes with soup for dinner, sometimes toasted for breakfast (with marmalade!)
It’s one of those rare recipes that is super easy with amazing results.
what you’ll need for Guinness bread
Don’t blink, it’s a short list!
- all purpose flour
- you can use white whole wheat or whole wheat flour if you prefer an earthier bread.
- oat flour
- oat flour adds flavor and tenderness to the bread. It’s easy to make your own oat flour if you don’t have any on hand.
- golden brown sugar
- dark brown sugar can also be used for a richer molasses flavor.
- baking powder
- salt
- rolled oats
- these are just for topping the batter before baking.
- Guinness Draught
- any robust beer will work, but Guinness is the gold standard for stout beer.
Does Guinness bread taste like beer?
No, it doesn’t taste like beer, in fact all taste testers agreed they wouldn’t have guessed it was made with beer unless they were told! It has a slightly malty, nutty flavor and a wonderful yeasty aroma. The brown sugar gives it a background sweetness.The texture? It’s soft and chewy ~ just perfect.
how to know if your Guinness bread is done
This bread will look risen and golden brown when fully cooked, with a crack or cracks along the top. But there’s nothing worse than a loaf of bread that looks perfect, only to be underdone and gummy in the center! Using a thermometer to check the internal temperature of bread is one of my favorite methods to reliably determine if it’s fully baked and ready to eat.
- Insert a digital thermometer into the thickest part of the bread, making sure not to touch the pan.
- The internal temperature of bread should be about 190°F (88°C) when fully baked.
- Note that it can take up to a minute for ‘instant’ read thermometers to register the correct temperature. Anywhere from 180F-190F is good.
what happens when you bake with beer?
Beer contains yeast, which helps the bread rise. Yeast is a natural leavening agent that feeds on the sugars in the beer and produces carbon dioxide as a byproduct. This carbon dioxide gas helps the bread rise and creates small air pockets throughout the loaf. Plus you get that lovely yeasty flavor and aroma we all love.
The malt and hops in beer add flavor and complexity, making baked goods more interesting. A robust beer like Guinness adds a rich, earthy flavor to this bread.
Does the alcohol burn off when you bake Guinness bread?
It’s a common misconception that all the alcohol in food evaporates or cooks off during the baking or boiling process. In reality, some amount of alcohol can remain in the food, depending on cooking time, temperature, and the amount of alcohol used in the recipe.
Studies have shown that alcohol can evaporate quickly when exposed to high heat, such as in flambéing or stir-frying, but slower when exposed to lower heat in baking or simmering.
It’s important to note that the amount of alcohol that remains in the food is usually very low and generally considered safe for consumption. According to the USDA, foods cooked with alcohol for an hour or more will retain about 25 percent of the original alcohol content, while foods cooked for less than 15 minutes will retain about 40 percent.
If you’re concerned about the alcohol content of this bread you can try using a non-alcoholic beer. Guinness makes one called Guinness 0.0.
how we’re using our easy Guinness bread
- it’s great to beef up a soup meal, and it goes particularly well with Split Pea Soup with Ham, Mushroom Barley Soup, or Beef Barley Soup.
- of course we’re including it on our St. Patrick’s Day menu, alongside Dublin Coddle and Instant Pot Irish Stew.
- I like to round out a Cottage Pie or a Farmhouse Shepherd’s Pie with beer bread.
- Guinness bread is great with Baked Brats in Caramelized Sauerkraut ~ it’s a company worthy meal, and super easy.
- it makes a nice mid-day snack with a cup of tea.
- We love it toasted and buttered for breakfast, with marmalade.
- oh, and how about an Irish cheddar and bacon grilled cheese? Yes!
more quick breads to bake
- Beer Bread Recipe (easy, no yeast!)
- Paleo Fruit and Nut Bread
- Irish Oatmeal Soda Bread
- Irish Brown Bread
- Perfect Cornbread Recipe
- Boston Market Style Cornbread Recipe
- 3 ingredient biscuits
Guinness Oatmeal Bread
Equipment
- 9×5 loaf pan
- parchment paper (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup golden brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 11.2 ounces Guinness Draught, (one bottle)
- 1 Tbsp rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Butter and line a standard loaf pan with a sheet of parchment paper. The paper is optional, but provides a convenient 'sling' to lift the bread out after baking.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Be sure to work out all the lumps in your brown sugar.
- Add the Guinness and stir to combine. Mix until everything is incorporated and there is no dry flour left, but don't over mix.
- Turn into your prepared pan spread out evenly. Top with the rolled oats. At this point you can bake the bread right away, but I recommend letting it rest on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes for best results.*
- Bake for about 35 minutes, until risen and golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out without obvious wet batter on it (moist crumbs are ok.)
- Let the bread cool a bit before slicing and enjoying. I don't like to slice it until I'm ready to eat it, otherwise it can start to dry out.
- The bread will keep, covered in foil or plastic, or in an airtight container, for up to a week. It can be frozen for longer storage.
I have a flat Guinness beer that I’d like to use up. Does this recipe work with flat beer?
Not sure Demi, you’ll have to give it a try and see. I think it should be fine, though.
I found this bread very quick and easy to make. I used Dark Brown Sugar, as it was either that or the light brown. It smelled wonderful baking and came out just right. I made an a second loaf, this weekend, to take out to my Mom. She loved it and was going to try toasting it in the morning and topping it with some jam or marmalade.
It’s insane with marmalade Mary! Thanks for the review 🙂
I wondered what you meant by golden brown sugar? Is this the same as the standard light brown sugar? That is what I used but the outcome was very sweet, much sweeter than I expected and I wondered if you used something else.
I have made Guinness brown bread before but I like this as well or better. I too noticed the baking powder in ingredients and baking soda in the instructions so looked up other recipes and most had baking powder and that’s what I went with. Everyone loved it and it was super easy. Thanks
I made this in honor of St. Paddy’s Day. My family all loved it! The dough was super sticky, and I did find it took a bit longer than 35 minutes in the oven, but otherwise, it was super easy and fun to bake. I would definitely make this again. I was worried about it tasting like beer (it certainly smells like beer), but it tastes just like a yummy bread.
Usually, I love the recipes you share. This one looked beautiful. It tested done. When cut it was still wet and underbaked, despite the skewer test coming clean. Too late to bake longer once cut, the under done state may also have contributed to a more bitter Guinness stout flavor. I also noticed this recipe uses no fats or buttermilk, wondering if that might be an oversight.
Sorry this wasn’t a hit for you Mary. It sounds like it didn’t get quite cooked through ~ a thermometer can be more accurate than a toothpick with breads. If you find the beer flavor too strong you might try a milder ale. I use Guinness stout and haven’t had a strong beer flavor in all the times I’ve made this bread, so it could be a matter of personal taste. Hope you give it another try!
In our house, I’m the bread maker, but this, without using yeast, seemed a recipe my husband could make. He raved about how easy it was, it was delicious, and now he has something he can whip up when he wants more! Definitely a 5-Star for taste, muffin-like texture, and ease of making!
I’m so glad you tried and loved this Louise! I’ve made it several times again since posting, it’s so easy.
Hello! I want to try this recipe, however, in the ingredients list is says baking powder and in the method it says baking soda. ?
Thanks!
Thanks for catching that Allison, it’s baking powder.
What is oat flour?
?
Oat flour is flour made from finely ground oats instead of wheat. You can find it in the baking section of most supermarkets, and you can also make it yourself by grinding rolled oats in a high speed blender.
Hi. Enjoy your view. I would like to make beer bread. We live at mile high altitude. Do you have any suggestions for baking this at high altitude? Thanks.