Recipe: Guinness & Pecan Bread

Makes 1 loaf

This delicious bread is best eaten as soon as it is cool enough to handle. If you want to keep it for any longer, sprinkle a little water over the crust as soon as it comes out of the oven and wrap in a clean tea towel to stop the crust becoming too hard.

Guinness and Pecan Bread

Prepared by Kevin Dundon

Guinness and Pecan Bread

Prepared by Kevin Dundon

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Ingredients

450g/1lb/3 cups wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour
110g/4oz/generous 2/3 cup plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 tsp salt
50 g/2 oz/ 2/3 cup rolled oats
50 g/2 oz/ 1/3 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped
2 eggs
150ml/5fl oz/ 2/3 cup Guinness
225ml/8fl oz/scant 1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp treacle
Butter, to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/Gas mark 4.

Put the wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour into a bowl, then sift over the plain (all-purpose) flour, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and salt. Stir in the rolled oats and pecan halves.

Break the eggs into a jug (pitcher) and lightly beat, then stir in the Guinness, buttermilk and treacle, whisking to combine. Make the well in the centre of the dry ingredients and gradually add enough of the egg mixture to mix to a soft dough.

Turn out on to a lightly floured work surface (counter) and knead very lightly, then shape into an oval round and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Cut a deep cross in the top and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 170˚C/325˚F/Gas mark 3 and bake for a further 20–25 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack (cooling rack) to cool.

To serve, eat while still warm, cut into slices with lashings of butter.