You could certainly drink a bottle of Guinness with a slice of Guinness bread from this delicious mix...but you might prefer a cup of tea. Photography by Claire Freierman | THE NIBBLE.
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KAREN HOCHMAN is Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE.
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March 2008
Last Updated March 2012
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Guinness Bread Mix
A Brown Raisin Bread With A Tasty Touch Of Beer
CAPSULE REPORT: Guinness Bread Mix makes it easy to bake a delicious Irish-style bread. We’d call it a brown raisin bread, flavored with the sweet maltiness of treacle and Guinness. The mix is made in Dublin. Get some for yourself and for gifts. This mix makes it easy to bake a special bread for brunch or luncheons. Then, you might want a bottle of Guinness on the side. The mix is certified kosher.
Overview
If you think of “Irish” and “bread,” the first thing that comes to mind is the popular Irish soda bread, a recipe that adds baking soda, buttermilk, and often, raisins, to white or whole wheat flour. But an equally fine tradition is Irish brown bread, made with whole wheat and/or whole grain flour and often, treacle, which adds dark color and sweetness. (In some recipes, coffee is used for color without sweetness.)
We couldn’t find a soda bread mix we liked as much as some we’ve baked from scratch, had at restaurants and bought from good bakeries. But we did take a liking to Guinness Bread Mix. It produced a pretty, artisan-looking loaf with a top so textured that it looked almost frosted (see the photo above); when sliced, it looked like raisin bread (see the photo below). While it has a bread texture, it tastes quite muffin-like: complex flavors with a light sweetness.
After you buy the mix, there are still a number of ingredients required to bring the product to life:
- 1 tablespoon butter (or margarine)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup black treacle (or dark molasses)
- 1/2 cup Guinness (can or bottle)
- 1/3 cup raisins (optional but highly recommended)
- And a 7-inch loaf pan to bake in
The mix is certified kosher; the actual ingredients in the mix are simply whole wheat flour, oatmeal, baking soda, brown sugar and salt. The recipe is easy to mix up, and bakes in 45 to 55 minutes.
What Is Treacle?
Treacle is the British term for molasses, a thick syrup that is a by-product of the process of refining sugar cane. The syrup is available from very light to very dark types, just as in the U.S. varying grades of molasses are sold, the sweeter grades being lighter in color (see our Syrup Glossary).
The lightest syrup, produced when the sugar cane juice is first boiled, is called light treacle or golden syrup (light molasses in the U.S.), used as a pancake syrup and general sweetener. The second boiling produces a much darker syrup, which the British call dark treacle and we call dark molasses, used in baking. The third boiling produces blackstrap molasses, strong and bitter, largely used for cattle feed (and as a health food).
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Black treacle, looking very charming and British. We used it in our recipe. If you can’t find it locally, you can buy it here. Lyle’s also makes golden syrup, which the Brits use on pancakes instead of maple syrup.
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Serving Suggestions
The complex flavors of the bread remind us of a great muffin. There’s some brown sugar in the mix, plus the added and raisins, heightened by the dark sweetness of the Guinness beer. There’s a nice nuance of maltiness provided by the beer, too, and a whole grain goodness of the oats that are mixed with the regular wheat flour.
- This is a lovely breakfast and brunch bread. We enjoyed it plain, although those who always butter their bread will add a bit of butter.
- Crème fraîche would be even better. Mascarpone would tip the scales, literally and figuratively.
- Guinness bread also works beautifully with cream cheese or goat cheese sandwiches, served with a salad or as tea sandwiches.
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The white flecks are rolled oats (what American oatmeal is made of), which are whole grains. |
The bread is a normal texture, so not ideally dense enough for canapés. But, you can try it there, too, as a counterpoint to some salty spread.
GUINNESS BREAD MIX
Infused With Guinness Beer
Certified kosher (parve) by
Orthodox Union
- 3-Pack
(Makes 3 loaves)
$13.47
Click here to purchase.
Prices and flavor availability are verified at publication but are subject to change. |
Inside are three packets that make three tasty loaves. |
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