There is nothing more Irish than Guinness! This Guinness treacle bread has been a staple across kitchens in Ireland for generations. This brown soda bread recipe pairs honey with it to add a little more sweetness, and buttermilk to offset that sweetness with a little sour for a beautifully balanced flavor. Soft and light, this loaf smells incredible, is easy to make, and offers just a little taste of one of the nation’s favorites: Guinness beer! Perfect with some butter or with a bowl of soup, you will not be disappointed!
Guinness Treacle Bread Ingredients
Obviously, two of the key ingredients in this Guinness treacle bread are Guinness and treacle, but let’s explore these ingredients a bit more.
Guinness. Guinness beer is the star of this bread and gives it its unique flavor.
Black treacle. If you want to be authentic, you can sweeten your bread with traditional black treacle, such as Lyle’s Black Treacle. This quality treacle contains no preservatives or artificial colors and is excellent for baking. You can also substitute with molasses even if the taste will be slightly different.
Porridge oats. Irish porridge oats are similar to steel-cut oats in the US. Try Flavahan’s Organic Irish Porridge Oats or McCann’s Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal. Or substitute your favorite brand of oatmeal. The health benefits of oats are plentiful: oats are a healthy whole grain and a good source of iron, calcium vitamin B-6, magnesium, and antioxidants.
Unsalted butter. Although you can use your preferred brand of unsalted butter, why not try
Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter, Unsalted. Founded in Ireland in 1962, Kerrygold produces a rich, creamy butter that uses milk from grass-fed cows.
Guinness Treacle Bread: Answers to Your Questions
Here are some answers to the most common questions about this recipe, along with some fun facts!
Black treacle is a common ingredient in Ireland and the UK but is often unfamiliar to people in other countries, including the US. It’s a thick, dark syrup similar to molasses. After sugar is refined, syrup remains. This is treacle. It was once used as a treatment for poisons and snake bites, but it is now known primarily as a delicious sweetener.
Irish butter, such as Kerrygold, is very flavorful as it’s made from the milk of grass-fed cows. This is also what gives it its unique color. It’s a good source of vitamin A and has a large amount of healthy, unsaturated fats. Irish butter is soft and excellent for baking due to its high amount of soft milkfats.
Guinness, Ireland’s famous beer, is a dark stout that got its start at the brewery of Arthur Guinness in Dublin in 1759. Guinness has now become a worldwide brand, sold around the world. If you love Guinness and happen to visit Dublin, be sure to stop by the Guinness Storehouse to take a tour, taste some beer, and learn about brewing. Note: although the Storehouse is currently closed due to Covid, online experiences are available.
You can enjoy Irish soda bread, such as this Guinness treacle bread, on its own with some delicious Irish butter or cheese (try Dubliner cheese from Kerrygold). It’s a great accompaniment to soups and stews such as Irish beef stew or colcannon. Or try toasting your bread or using it as a base for a savory sandwich (roast beef and Irish cheese go well).
Looking for more flavors of Ireland? Check out Irish Tea Brands: 5 Favorites to Try or Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread.
Guinness Treacle Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups wholemeal flour
- 1/3 cup plain flour
- 1/4 cup porridge oats leave a little extra for sprinkling on top
- 1 1/2 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp soft unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup Guinness beer
- 3/4 cup black treacle
- 1/8 cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F and line your loaf tin with some greased or parchment paper.
- Whisk all your dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, then add in your softened butter and mix on a low speed.
- Once mixed, add in your wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Use a spatula to make sure the mix is incorporated properly.
- Add your batter into your loaf tin and sprinkle the top with oats. The mix will be runny but that is perfectly normal.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. If needed, you can bake for up to an hour. The mix is quite runny, and you want to make sure that it is cooked the whole way through.
- Leave to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and enjoy!
Nutrition
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6 comments
It sounds great! I have never attempted to make one, but your recipe sounds easy to follow; I’ll give it a try.
This looks amazing! My husband’s favourite beer is Guinness and this bread would be right up his alley. I am going to have to try it out. Thanks for sharing!
This is awesome thanks for sharing!
Delicious! Thanks for all the helpful details!
I have been eating my weight in Guinness brown bread for the past several weeks in Ireland-keeping this recipe for when we return to the states! It’s our absolute most favorite thing, especially with seafood chowder!
I made this delicious bread yesterday to add to a basket of Irish goodies that we gifted to friends when we were invited to dinner in their home. They are anxiously awaiting their trip to Ireland in a few months. My husband and I have just returned from our latest trip to Ireland and needless to say, we are all in love with all things Irish!
The bread was absolutely delicious! Moist and so full of flavour! I love that it is easy to put together and I always have the ingredients on hand ( that could be dangerous! ) The entire loaf got devoured during appie hour and everyone ignored the charcuterie board lol
Thank you for a great recipe!