There is nothing worse than getting a recipe which doesn’t work. At a recent cookery demo the audience was given a recipe for stout bread which tasted great. However, after a couple of attempts at home I abandoned the recipe for this one which does work every time! The cooking time of 55-60 minutes is longer than you would expect but this is a dense loaf and needs every minute of it! Cover the top with foil if you think it is browning too quickly. My small son thinks this is chocolate bread as it has a fabulous deep colour.  If it means that he will eat it, then it shall be called chocolate bread. Enjoy!

• 600grams/ 5 cups wholemeal flour- I used Macroom flour but Howard’s wholemeal works well too.
• 150grams/ 1 cup plain flour
• 75grams/ ¾ cup oats
• 2 ½ teaspoons bread soda (baking soda)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
• 40 grams/ 3 tablespoons salted butter
• 200grams/ ¾ cup black treacle
• 480millilitres/2 cups milk
• ½ Imperial pint/10 fluid ounces/ 1 ¼  cups/ 300 millilitres draught Guinness

Note I’m using an imperial half pint here which is 10 fluid ounces

Method

Put all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix with  a whisk to combine them. Add the butter and rub into the dry ingredients. Then add the treacle, milk and Guinness. Stir well to make sure that the treacle is fully incorporated. The batter will be very wet. This amount of batter will make two, one pound loaves. This bread freezes well so make one and freeze one!

Cook at 170C/340F for 55-60 minutes