Paul Hollywood’s Irish Stout Bread

There are many foods associated with Ireland from soda bread, to potato farls; to Irish beef stew.  This bread combines the traditional soda bread with that well know Irish stout.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil for greasing
• 200g plain flour plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp sale
• 550g wholemeal flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 300ml stout
• 220ml buttermilk

Method

• Preheat the oven to 230C/450F/Gas 8 and grease a 900g/2lb loaf tin with vegetable oil.
• Add the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt to a large bowl. Stir through the wholemeal flour and sugar.
• Pour in the stout and buttermilk. Mix well to form a wet dough.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly-floured work surface. Roll and fold the mixture gently until it forms a fat sausage, roughly the size of the tin.
• Place the dough into the greased loaf tin and, with wet hands, pat down and smooth the top into the edges. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Bake for another 25 minutes, or until the top is golden and the base sounds hollow when tapped.
• Cool in the tin for five minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack. Let the loaf cool before slicing.