Guinness Brown Soda Bread Recipe

This Guinness brown soda bread recipe is an Irish classic. Brown soda bread is a non yeasted bread that gets it’s rise from the reaction between baking soda and the acidity of the buttermilk and doesn’t require any time to ferment or rise. It has a signature crunchy crust and a soft, almost cake like crumb. This Guinness brown soda bread is enriched further with brown sugar, oats and Guinness for extra flavour.

So how do I make this Guinness Brown Soda Bread from scratch?

This Guinness Brown Soda Bread comes together really easily and simply. To begin, add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Whisk them together briefly to break up any lumps. In a separate bowl or jug, add the liquids and whisk briskly together. Pour the liquid into the large mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix everything together until no flour or dry lumps remain. Grease the entire loaf tin and line the bottom of the tin. Transfer the brown bread into the loaf tin and spread over evenly. Sprinkle over a small handful of oats. Dip or coat your metal spatula/knife in oil and make a cut straight down the middle. Bake for 40-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean You can also check if the bread is done by removing it from the tin and checking the bottom. If the bottom is dry and has small air holes, it’s ready to take out of the oven.

How long does Brown Soda Bread last?

Brown soda bread is incredibly soft and has a great shelf life. Once fully cooled down, and leftover should be tightly wrapped in cling film or beeswax wraps or placed int an airtight container. Brown bread can lat for up for 5 days if stored correctly at room temperature.

How do I eat this brown soda bread?

There’s a number of ways you can eat brown bread. You can eat it still warm with a simple add of salted Irish butter. Slices of brown bread is also delicious toasted with butter or cheese or jam. It also makes a delicious lunch topped with coleslaw or make it fancy by adding a fish pate or smoked salmon and cream cheese.

What kind of Stout should I use for this?

I used Guinness for this brown soda bread but you can use any other high quality stout. Some popular Irish stouts include: O’Haras Irish Stout, Murphys, Black Rock Irish Stout.

What can I use instead of Guinness?

If you don’t have any Guinness or stout you can use beer instead. If you want to leave out the alcohol completely, you can just replace with buttermilk.

Do you have some Guinness still leftover? Why not check out this Chocolate Guinness Cake Recipe.

For more Bread recipes, check out my Bread category, here.

Maybe you’re interested in Breakfast Recipes? Take a peek at my Breakfast Category, here.