Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450° F (230° C) and brush a 1 pound loaf pan (roughly 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.pan with melted butter (I melt an extra tablespoon of butter, when melting for the bread.

Step 2

In a large bowl combine the whole wheat flour (2 ¼ cups), oats (1 cup), all-purpose flour (¼ cup), dark brown sugar (¼ cup), kosher salt (2 tsp), baking soda (2 ¼ tsp), and baking powder (1 tsp).

Step 3

Make a well in the dry ingredients, then pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Add Guinness (11-12 oz), melted butter (5 TBL), buttermilk (1 cup), and molasses (2 TBL), vanilla (1 tsp) stirring well until combined and no streaks of flour remain. It will be the consistency of a thick cake batter.

Step 4

Transfer the beer bread batter to your prepared baking pan (filling no further than ¾ full). Smooth the top and then sprinkle with additional oats (about 1 TBL) for an authentic look.

Step 5

Place pan on a baking sheet (just in case it overflows) and put bread in oven, immediately turning the temperature down to 400° F (205° C), and bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

Step 6

Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the bread onto a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing. It’s important to cool breads before slicing, as breads continue cooking as they cool.

Step 7

If warm bread is desired (and who doesn’t love warm bread?), once it has cooled, place the desired number of slices wrapped in foil in a 350°F (175° C) oven for 15 minutes. Serve warm, slathered with salted Irish cream butter or with a little jam or preserves.

Step 8

Delicious served toasted or cold with Irish salted butter and jam if desired.