Irish Mercedes’ Guinness Bread

This is an adaption of the popular beer bread.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons dry yeast
• 1⁄2 cup warm water
• 1  tablespoon sugar
• 1 (6 1/3ounce) bottle  guinness stout beer
• 2  tablespoons honey
• 1  tablespoon margarine or 1  tablespoon butter
• 1  teaspoon caraway seed
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 1⁄2 cups  unsifted all-purpose white flour
• 1  teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1  tablespoon margarine or 1  tablespoon butter, to brush bread after baking

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water and 1 Tablespoon of sugar; set aside for five minutes. Heat stout, honey and margarine until warm. Add stout mix to the dissolved yeast and stir into 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour, ginger and caraway seeds to make a soft dough.
3. Shape into a ball. Knead on a floured board until smooth, about 3 minutes. Form into a round loaf and with floured knife make a cross through center of the bread. Place in a greased 8-inch round cake tin. Cover with tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until done. Remove from pan and brush with 1 Tablespoons butter. Cool on rack.
4. The Irish Heritage Cookbook….Mercedes McLoughlin & Marian McSpiritt.