Beer Bread
This quickbread recipe is from one of my favourite cookbook authors, Ina Garten - you may have heard of her😉. Specifically it is from the Cooking for Jeffrey book from 2016.
Even though it contains a whole 330 ml bottle of Irish Guiness extra stout beer, you definitely don’t taste it, nor do you get inebriated (well at least if you only eat a couple of slices!)
This bread is delicious simply buttered, with cheddar cheese and sliced tomato, or to accompany soup or a salad. I find it hard to wait until it cools down to taste it.
So easy to make, and unlike yeast breads, no waiting for the dough to rise.
Irish Guiness Brown Bread
1 cup quick-cooking oats (not instant), plus extra for sprinkling
2¼ cups whole wheat flour, I used a Canadian brand, Oak Manor Organic
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
2¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 330 ml bottle Guinness extra stout beer, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk*, shaken
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for brushing the pan
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the beer, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Stir the batter from the middle of the bowl to the outside, until it’s well mixed.
Brush a 9 × 5 × 2½-inch loaf pan with melted butter. Pour the batter into the pan and sprinkle the top with oats. Put the bread in the oven, immediately turn the temperature down to 400 degrees, and bake for 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn the bread out onto a baking rack and allow to cool completely. Slice and serve with salted butter.
*I don’t often have buttermilk on hand so I substitute half plain yogurt (5%) and half milk.
