This stout bread loaf is a simple yeasted bread that gets its brown color from dark beer and a touch of cocoa powder.
Once upon a time I dreamed of being a bread baker. I wanted to make croissants, baguettes, boules, brioche, sourdough, pumpernickel, and pan de mie.
And once upon a time I did work as a morning bread baker. Unfortunately, that didn’t last very long. I am not a morning person.
I have the most difficult time waking up before the sun rises. Going to be at 8pm and waking up at 3am was such a struggle for me.
Table of Contents
Guinness Beer Bread
Long gone are my days working at bakery. I prefer baking at home and having the freedom to experiment with all sorts of different recipes.
This stout bread loaf is one of my husband’s favorite breads I make. His other favorite is this brioche.
This is a simple yeasted bread that gets its nice brown color from stout beer and a touch of cocoa powder. The recipe came about when we had leftover beer from a dinner party.
What to do with stout bread?
This savory stout bread loaf is perfect for grilled cheeses, nut butters and jam, and hearty sandwiches. While the recipe listed below makes one loaf, I like to double it.
We enjoy one now, and I freeze the second one for later. If you’d like to do the same, allow the second loaf to fully cool to room temperature. At that point, you could slice it or leave it whole.
Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer safe ziplock bag. Keep it in the freezer for up to a month. To defrost, leave it at room temperature for a few hours.
Here’s a short Instagram video of my favorite way to enjoy this stout bread loaf. I toast the bread, slather on some almond butter, top it with sliced bananas, honey roasted sliced almonds, a drizzle of honey, and a pinch of ground cinnamon. I love it!
More Recipes Featuring Beer
- Soft and fluffy black pepper cheddar beer bread is great for breakfast sandwiches!
- Spicy beer bread (no-yeast quick bread!) is made with pale lager mixed with pepper jack cheese and sliced jalapeños.
- Homemade pretzels! Honey beer pretzels combine bread flour, German pilsner beer, and a touch of honey. It’s got bite, chew, and a ton of flavor!
Stout Bread Loaf
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup whole milk, , warmed to 110 degrees F
- ¾ cup chocolate stout beer*, room temperature
- 3 ½ cups (459 g) bread flour
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
- egg wash, , to brush
- rolled oats, , to top
Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
- pinch fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Whisk together yeast, sugar, warmed milk, and stout beer in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow to sit for 5-7 minutes to activate yeast.
- Attach dough hook to stand mixer. Add bread flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt to mixer. Mix on low speed until dough starts to come together. Increase speed to medium and add coconut oil. Continue to mix on medium speed for 3-5 minutes until dough no longer sticks to the sides of mixing bowl.
- Transfer dough to a large greased bowl. Cover and allow dough to rest for one hour at room temperature.
- Punch dough down to remove any air bubbles. Pat the dough into a rectangle about 9 x 12 inches. Fold into into thirds like a business letter. Tuck in the sides. Place inside a well greased 9 x 5-inch bread loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow dough to rest for 20-30 minutes until bread rises to the top of the pan.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush top of dough with egg wash. Top with rolled oats. Bake for 40-45 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of bread loaf reads at least 200°F. Rotate bread loaf midway through baking to ensure even cooking.
- Allow bread to cool in pan for 5 minutes before unmolding. Allow bread loaf to cool to room temperature of a wire rack. Once bread has cooled, slice bread using a serrated knife.
Egg Wash:
- Whisk together egg, salt, and water until smooth.
Notes
- I used Trader Joe’s canned chocolate stout beer. If you cannot find chocolate stout beer, any dark stout beer will work.
- This bread freezes well. Allow bread to completely cool to room temperature. Slice, if desired. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe ziplock bag. Keeps in the freezer for up to a month. To defrost, leave bread at room temperature for a few hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
How many mls or grams is 3/4 cup of beer?
3/4 cup liquid is 177 milliliters.
Ive tried this recipe 4 different times, and it doesn’t turn into dough. It ends up being Thai disgusting lump of rubber. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. For the record, I’m not a novice baker either when it comes to bread.
I used a double chocolate stout beer. I found the flavour bland. Need to up the salt next time. Other than that, the texture was fine.
This one is a keeper! I was looking for a recipe to use up some imperial stout beer that was just too strong to enjoy as a drink, and this recipe really did the trick. My dough took much longer to rise than the instructions suggest, but I often have this problem as I think my house is just too dry. The final product was totally worth the wait- a moist but not dense interior with a toasty flavor encased in a thin, crisp, crust. Delicious!
I am making this for the second time, and omg, it is sooo easy and delicious ?!
We like to toast a slice of this and melt on a pat of unsalted butter, and top with a pinch of blueberry salt… It’s amazing!
This time, due to the lovely softness, it reminded me of chelsea bun dough, so we layered cheese into the folds….I guess I have ten more minutes to find out if that was a good idea…. Love this! Thanks from a person terrified of yeast..you’ve made me happy!
Made this today. It’s quite delicious with a lovely texture despite the fact that I forgot the coconut oil. The espresso powder gives a slight bitterness so I will probably reduce it by half on the next try. Great recipe. I can’t wait to try a slice toasted.
It’s like I can smell this baking already! Looks SO good- just wanna spread some butter on a couple of slices and call it a day!
Thanks so much!
This bread is just gorgeous! How lovely to add cocoa to stout in the dough, I bet the flavors going on are unsurpassed! Your story is pretty cool – I’ve always wondered how bakers manage to get up in the middle of the night…Gotta be thankful to them – what is better than walking down to the local bakery at 7:00 am and buying a freshly baked croissant?
I’ve never tried making a bread loaf myself, especially one that looks this delicious. Now I have to try!
I hope you give it a try!