A quick bread with cheddar, onion, and a generous pour of the best stout beer! Slices of Guinness Bread are tender, cheesy, and so flavorful.
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The other, unofficial name for this loaf—the one I've been using around the house whilst baking up several loaves of it—is the Guinness Chedd Bread. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?
But even better than a catchy name is the fact that this is an easy-to-make loaf of bread that's cheesy, savory, and includes our favorite Irish stout. I give you Guinness Bread with Cheddar and Onion!
This beer bread recipe is, of course, an excellent recipe to make for St. Patrick's Day (along with these other St. Patrick's Day recipes!) The bread can also make an appearance any time you crave a cheesy, quick bread for snackin' and to pair with lunch or dinner. After all, it's easy to find Irish Guinness Extra Stout and cheddar year-round!
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A bread featuring two New England favorites
Guinness Stout is a favorite in the Northeast, and that's no small feat considering the competition. Craft beers are big business throughout New England; innovative brewers, small and large, across the six states offer innumerable variations on every kind of brew, from IPAs to lagers to saisons... to stouts.
Even with these local options, Guinness is available nearly everywhere you go. That's welcome news for those of us in New England with Irish ancestry (and that's quite a few) especially when St. Patrick's Day rolls around.
The other New England favorite is, of course, the cheddar cheese—from producers like Vermont's Grafton Village, New Hampshire's Swallow Ridge Farm, Maine's Pineland Farms Dairy, Connecticut's Arethusa Farm, and Rhode Island's Wright's Dairy Farm. The winters here are long and cold, but a little easier to survive when there's plenty of good cheese on hand!
Authentic loaf!
Irish Brown Bread
Try an Authentic soda bread enjoyed throughout Ireland.
Why you'll love this loaf
This is a quick bread recipe, which means that there's no kneading needed.... er, required. It rises in the oven thanks to baking soda and baking powder in the batter. So even though soda bread with Guinness has a leisurely bake, the time it takes to throw the batter in the bread pan is pretty brief.
Guinness Beer Bread is a wonderfully savory loaf. It has roasted, malty, and bitter notes from the stout beer, warm and sweet flavor from sautéed onions, and a striking cheesy flavor from the sharp cheddar.
Use a strong-flavored sharp or extra sharp cheddar in this Guinness bread recipe so that the flavor will really stand out amongst the other ingredients. I used Kerrygold Aged Cheddar in mine.
Make a loaf of cheesy, Irish Guinness soda bread anytime you need an excuse to do some comforting, therapeutic baking! Or, make it for a savory snack, a side for tomato soup or other lunches, or to serve with beef stew and other meaty main dishes.
For example:
Guinness Bread is pretty dang delicious alongside a plate of Slow Cooker Guinness Pot Roast!
Ready to get baking? Me too!
🔪 How to make Guinness Bread
Ingredients:
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour for this bread; my go-to brand is King Arthur Baking Company
- Guinness Extra Stout beer: A malty, dark beer that goes so well with the savory flavors in this bread
- Cheddar cheese: Use a really flavorful, sharp cheddar for the best-tasting bread. I used Kerrygold aged cheddar
- Onion: A medium yellow onion works here; it'll be diced and sautéed in a little oil for the bread
- Butter: A half-stick of butter is melted for the bread batter. Use a good-quality, unsalted butter
- Eggs: Use large eggs for this recipe.
- Worcestershire sauce: A splash of Worcestershire helps deepen the flavor of the bread and the cheddar.
- Sour cream: A full-fat sour cream helps make this bread especially moist
- Seasonings: You'll need salt, pepper, and garlic powder
- Sugar: Granulated sugar, just a little, helps balance the strong, stout beer
- Leavening agents: That's baking powder and baking soda, to make the bread rise
Sauté the onions
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Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and add in the diced onion. Stir and sauté the onions until they're soft and brown.
Top Tip
Since you're making sautéed onions anyway, dice up and sauté some extra—then stash them in the fridge or freezer. That way, you'll have sautéed onions on hand to make a tasty batch of Ham, Cheese, and Onion Toasties for lunch anytime you want!
Mix the wet and the dry ingredients
Whisk together the flour, leavening agents, and other dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl: the eggs, melted butter, sour cream, and beer.
Combine everything
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, along with the sautéed onions. Fold in the shredded cheddar cheese.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased bread pan. Sprinkle more cheddar cheese on the top. Bake the bread completely through.
Cool and slice!
Once the bread has completely cooled, slice it and serve it up!
Tip for making Guinness Bread:
- To make sure your bread is thoroughly baked, use a digital thermometer: the internal temperature should be 200° to 205°F. It's one of my favorite kitchen tools!
FAQs
Yes, Guinness bread freezes very well. Let the loaf cool, then wrap it and place it in a freezer-proof container or resealable bag. Store the bread in the freezer for up to three months. To thaw, move the bread to the fridge still wrapped and let it defrost there completely. Or, slice the loaf before freezing, and take out just one or two slices as you need them.
One of the best ways to enjoy this bread is to spread the slices with a good butter like Kerrygold! You can also serve it as a side with savory meals like roasts, chili, or grilled sausages. Cut this bread into small slices and serve it with appetizers like meatballs or sliced cheese and charcuterie.
Drop what you're doing and whip up a loaf of tasty beer bread, won't you? Unless you were already in the middle of making this bread... in that case, carry on! All your hungry fans will thank you.
Find the recipe for Guinness Bread with Cheddar and Onion below! And here are more Guinness and Irish-inspired recipes for you:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Guinness Bread
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup of diced onion)
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup Guinness Extra Stout beer
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2½ cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
Sauté the onions:
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add in the diced onion. Stir and sauté the onions for about 10 minutes, until they're soft and beginning to brown. Take the pan off the heat and let them cool slightly.
Mix the dry ingredients:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
- Whisk together in a large bowl the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, baking soda, and black pepper. Set this aside.
Mix the wet ingredients:
- Whisk together the eggs and melted butter in a separate, large bowl. Add in the Worcestershire sauce and Guinness beer. Add the sour cream and whisk it into the mixture until it's smooth.
- Once mixed the wet mixture may begin to form lumps—it's the sour cream reacting with the beer. Don't worry, it'll be fine. Just give it another stir.
Mix everything together:
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients; stir everything together. Fold in 2 cups of the shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it in there evenly. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheese over the top.
Bake:
- Slide the loaf pan into the oven. Bake it for 75 to 80 minutes, or until the loaf is baked through.
- You can test it with a skewer or butter knife inserted into the middle, which should come out with just a few wet crumbs. To be more accurate, use a digital thermometer: it should read 200° to 205°F at the center when finished baking.
Cool:
- Move the pan to a cooling rack; cool it for 10 minutes.
- Then, run a knife between the loaf and the sides of the pan to loosen it. Carefully turn the loaf out of the pan.
- Let the Guinness Bread cool completely—or at least until as much as possible—before slicing and serving.
- Any leftover Guinness Bread should be stored in an airtight container or resealable bag, either at room temperature or in the fridge. It'll keep for about 5 days.
Notes
- To be sure the bread is finished baking, use a digital thermometer to check the center of the loaf. It should be between 200° and 205°F.
Nutrition
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