Stout Bread, that is. You'll need a dark, rich stout, so don't be tempted to substitute a wimpy pale beer. Nonetheless, you don’t need to use a very expensive stout. Cheap stouts will work, but my husband prefers the bread with Guinness (in case I might have some left for him to drink!). Also keep in mind that the bread gets its name from beer, not from how you will feel after you eat it—unless you get carried away and eat the whole pan. The bread is quite moist and incredibly good. It has a yeasty, malty darkness from the stout that’s offset by the sweetness of a little brown sugar and molasses. I usually add some golden raisins to the batter and sprinkle the top of the bread with walnuts for a nice, somewhat bitter crunch. Also, the batter is quite thin, so some of the nuts will sink down into the bread. Cut the bread into squares to serve it. The Stout Bread is especially good for breakfast accompanied by a slice of cheddar cheese. That said, I like the bread with every meal and for snacks, too. It’s that good.
Stout Bread – Serves 15+
1 cup of oats plus ¼ cup (divided)
2 cups of white whole-wheat flour
½ cup of dark brown sugar
1¼ teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
½ teaspoon of nutmeg
½ teaspoon of ginger
½ teaspoon of allspice
1/2 cup of canola oil
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
¼ cup of molasses
1 cup of buttermilk
2 eggs
1½ cups of stout
½ cup of golden raisins (optional)
1 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)
Raw or turbinado sugar (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and coat a 9 x 13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of oats, the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. In another bowl, whisk together the oil, vanilla extract, molasses, buttermilk, and eggs. Whisk in the beer. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and whisk just a bit to combine everything. You’ll have a very wet batter, but don’t get too zealous with the whisk. Add the raisins, if you’re using them and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the batter with the walnuts, if you’re using them, and then with the ¼ cup of remaining oats. If you want more sweetness and crunch, you can sprinkle on a couple of tablespoons of raw sugar as well. Bake the bread for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few crumbs clinging to it. Let the bread cool 5-10 minutes before cutting it into squares.
