This year, for St. Patrick’s Day, I ate tacos with fish from the English coast, drank an English beer with those tacos… and made Guinness bread. (Hey, I tried!)

Here in London, St. Patrick’s Day isn’t the kind of holiday it is in the US. People go out here, but it doesn’t have the same kind of exciting buzz or the green rivers. I’m guessing it might be because of the formerly sour relations between the two countries…

So while this post doesn’t include any unnaturally green food or silly hats, it does have a delicious and somewhat sweet bread to snack on while getting over a big night out. My favorite way to have it is warm with a bit of butter on top.

The best part about making this bread is that it didn’t require any yeast or rising. A bit of baking powder and some fizzy(ish) beer does all the work!

Notes: I cut 1/2 the sugar from the original recipe, but it’s still a sweet bread. If you want something more savory, you could cut it even more.

Also, while I would love to write that this bread is vegetarian, it’s unfortunately not. If you’re strict, it’s worth knowing that Guinness is processed with something called isinglass, which is made from fish.

Original recipe from: The Black Peppercorn

On The Counter

3 cups flour, sifted
1/2 tsp (2.5mL) salt
4 tsp (20mL) baking powder
1/3 cup (30g) oats
1/3 cup (85g) demerara (raw) sugar
12 oz (340mL) Guinness
1 tbsp (6g) oats
non-dairy spread or butter to grease loaf pan

What to Do

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Grease a 9.5in x 5in x 3in (24cm x 13cm x 7cm) with the butter/spread.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, 1/3 cup oats and sugar.

Slowly mix in Guinness using a wooden spoon. Try to avoid lumps, but don’t overmix. The batter should be quite sticky.

Scoop the batter into the greased pan and sprinkle the remaining oats on top.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. Test with a toothpick at 45 minutes. If it comes out clean, remove from the oven. If it doesn’t, put it back in for 5 more minutes at a time.

Place on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes. Slice while still warm.