Guinness Brown Bread That Takes Me Back to Ireland – Thanks to Ina Garten

It's been over a decade since I last visited Ireland, but the memories remain vivid—like boarding a tiny plane that felt like it was taking off from a sheep pasture. We explored breathtaking sights and savored so many wonderful foods, but one thing stands out above the rest: the bread. Irish brown bread, especially when thickly sliced and slathered with rich Irish butter, is simply unforgettable. It's hearty, slightly sweet, with that perfect malty depth—no one does it quite like they do.

 For years, I've tried to recreate that magic at home without success. My attempts always fell short of the real thing. Then I discovered Ina Garten's Irish Guinness Brown Bread from her cookbook Cooking for Jeffrey, and everything changed. This quick bread captures that nostalgic flavor beautifully, and it's incredibly easy—no yeast, no kneading, just a couple of bowls and a wooden spoon (or your hands). I've been enjoying thick slices at breakfast, with tea, alongside soup—honestly, at every chance I get. It's that good, and it brings back Ireland every time.

Whether you're planning a St. Patrick's Day meal or just craving comforting homemade bread, this is one you'll want to try. The Guinness adds wonderful depth without overpowering, and a pat of salted Kerrygold butter on top makes it pure heaven.

Irish Guinness Brown Bread

Adapted from Ina Garten's Cooking for Jeffrey

1 c. quick-cooking oats (not instant), plus extra for sprinkling on top

2¼ c. whole wheat flour

¼ c. all-purpose flour

½ c. dark brown sugar, lightly packed

2¼ t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

2 t. kosher salt

1 (11- to 12-ounce) bottle Guinness Extra Stout beer, room temperature

1 c. buttermilk, shaken

5 T. unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for brushing the pan

1 t. pure vanilla extract

Salted butter (such as Kerrygold), for serving

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

 In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well combined.

 In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the room-temperature Guinness, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.

 Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Using your hands or a sturdy spoon, stir gently from the center outward until everything is just combined. The batter will be loose and wet, more like thick cake batter than traditional bread dough—that's perfect.

Generously brush a 9 × 5 × 2½-inch loaf pan with melted butter (or spray with baking spray for easy release). Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top if needed, and sprinkle generously with extra oats.

 Place the pan in the oven, then immediately reduce the temperature to 400°F. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden and firm.

Remove from the oven and let the bread cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

 Slice thickly and serve with plenty of salted butter. It's wonderful warm, at room temperature, or even toasted the next day.

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Cranberry Walnut Irish Soda Bread Muffins

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Oh my goodness, these are so good! I was perusing the Guinness website because I had bought a six-pack, but only had firm plans for two bottles (one for my traditional corned beef, the other for Irish Guinness Brown Bread), and was wondering what to do with all of the rest. (I am not a beer drinker. No.) When I came across this recipe, I had to try it. This recipe also included another recipe for what they referred to as maple butter, although instead of using maple syrup, they used honey. Umm, that would be honey butter, not maple butter, but I digress. So, I adapted that to use real bourbon-aged maple syrup, and it is phenomenal on pretty much anything in the baked good category.

I am not a baker, as you all know, it irritates me. This recipe, however, didn’t irritate me as much as some. You don’t need any special equipment to make it, and I didn’t have to drag out the mixer. That pleased me. These are good at any time of the day. I can’t speak for how well they freeze, but my hope is that they will because they’re going into the freezer until I serve my St. Patrick’s Day dinner au deux on the 20th.

 Cranberry Walnut Irish Soda Bread Muffins

(with Whipped Maple Butter)

Slightly adapted from Guinness.com

 ½ c. dried cranberries*

1 c. Guinness® Extra Stout

2¼ c. flour

2 t. baking powder

¼ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

1/3 c. granulated sugar

1 egg

1 c. buttermilk

6 T. melted Irish butter

½ c. chopped walnuts

Flaky sea salt**

Demerara sugar

 Preheat oven to 400°F.

 Combine cranberries and Guinness® Extra Stout. Microwave on high for 45 seconds and let it steep and cool, to allow those cranberries to saturate with all that lovely beer flavor. Strain and set aside.

 Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk and melted butter. Combine the dry and wet ingredients until just mixed. Do not over mix, you just want all the dry ingredients hydrated.

 Gently fold in cranberries and walnuts.

 Fill muffin tin with tulip liners (or spray muffin tin with a liberal amount of non-stick cooking spray). Fill each section about ¾ of the way up. Top with a pinch flaky sea salt and Demerara. Bake for about 18-25 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.

 Cool for 5 minutes and quickly remove each muffin from the tin and finish cooling on a wire rack.

 Whipped Maple Cinnamon Butter

 2 Sticks Irish Butter, room temperature

¼ c. pure maple syrup

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. kosher salt

 Using a whisk, whip butter until everything is combined. Season to taste. Use on everything!

 *I used Melissa’s dried tart cherries. I think they are much more flavorful, and because of their larger size tend to hydrate better, holding more of that Guinness goodness.

**I used Fleur de Sel.

 

Twenty Delicious and Clever Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

 

It's officially March, and St. Patrick’s Day will be here before you know it. It’s time to start planning those beautiful tables, clever cards, luscious desserts, marvelous main dishes, sumptuous sides, and bountiful breads. Here are twenty ways to make your St. Patrick’s Day one of the best and tastiest ever!

To see the blog post and/or recipe/table/devastatingly clever idea associated with each of these pictures (shown in no particular order), click on the title below the photo and it will take you directly to the post.

Lepre-corn

Irish Guinness Brown Bread

St. Pat’s Pinwheel Cookies

St. Patrick’s Day Side Dishes

Irish Mash

St. Patrick’s Day Tablescape

Dining St. Pat’s Style

Colcannon Soup

St. Patrick’s Day Postmarks

Murphy’s in a Clogher Valley Mist

Irish Stovetop Potatoes

Lunching with Leprechauns

Celtic Apple Crumble with Irish Whiskey Cream Sauce

Irish Mist Chicken

Champ

St. Patrick’s Day Basket Vignette 

Irish Cheddar & Leek Strata

Bread Pudding with Irish Whiskey Sauce

Leeks au Gratin

Irish Whiskey Soda Bread

 

Bread & Butter Pudding

We're hard at work on the preparation for tomorrow's big dinner (I hadn't factored in the whole "lose an hour" thing when I first started to plan), and hopefully everything will be delicious as usual.  The table is set and looks lovely, a nice combination of tasteful with a touch of whimsy, and the cooking schedule is in place. We are fairly traditional in serving corned beef with mustard sauce, colcannon, vegetables, Irish soda bread and, though I believe it is traditionally an English dish, we serve Bread and Butter Pudding at the end of our St. Patrick's Dinner every year. Simple in appearance, the taste is sublime.  The recipe we use is from Gary Rhodes' book Rhodes Around Britain.  It's the best I've ever had.  It can also be found in the Bon Appetit, May 1998 issue.

Bread & Butter Pudding

 1½ c. whole milk

1½ c. whipping cream

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

8 large egg yolks

¾ c. plus 2 T. sugar

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1-lb. loaf white bread, slices cut ½” thick, crusts trimmed

2 T. golden raisins

2 T. brown raisins

Combine milk and whipping cream in heavy large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring milk mixture to simmer. Whisk egg yolks and ¾ c. sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture. Set custard aside.

Butter 9” x 9” x 2” glass baking dish. Spread ¼ c. butter over both sides of bread slices. Arrange 1/3 of bread slices in single layer over bottom of prepared dish, trimming to fit. Sprinkle half of golden raisins and half of brown raisins over bread. Cover with another single layer of bread. Sprinkle remaining raisins over. Layer with remaining bread. Discard vanilla bean from custard; pour over bread. Let stand until some custard is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake pudding until custard thickens and begins to set, about 20 minutes.

 Preheat broiler. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over pudding. Broil until sugar browns, rotating baking dish for even browning and watching closely, about 2 minutes. Let pudding cool slightly. Serve warm.

 

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