We serve this simple but delicious bread with all our soups at The Old Spot. It also makes a great base for open-face sandwiches as it’s neither too dry nor too moist, but rather is nicely balanced between the two, with a slightly cakelike texture. The treacle gives it a little sweetness but is kept in check by the stout and buttermilk.
Our customers love this bread so much they buy loaves to take home, and we always have a large pre-order list for our Christmas Eve regulars.
Makes 1 loaf
400g wholemeal flour
100g plain flour
35g muscovado sugar
1 level teaspoon (5g) bread soda
30g salted butter, diced and softened
330ml buttermilk
180ml Guinness stout
110g treacle
50g porridge oats
Preheat the oven to 165°C. Grease a 900g (2lb) loaf tin and line with non-stick baking paper.
Mix all the flours, sugar and bread soda together in a large mixing bowl. Add the softened butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the buttermilk, Guinness and treacle and stir to mix through fully.
Pour into the prepared tin and top with a scattering of the oats. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool fully.
CHEF’S TIP We like to keep this bread simple, but you could also add a handful or two of pumpkin or sunflower seeds to the mixture together with the liquid ingredients, then sprinkle some extra over the top before baking.
From The Old Spot Cookbook: A Decade at Dublin’s Favourite Gastropub