Okay folks, friends, and lovers of food and of all things Irish. Betwixt the work hours and the fun hours, I’ve managed to find some blog hours. I can always find blog hours to devote to Irish anything.
I have this thing though – It stems from dating a fresh-off-the-boat Irishman for nearly four years (back when I was a naive young thing and any European accent gave my heart a flutter).
He would get so irritated when Americans referred to certain things as Irish, when in fact, they were not all that Irish. For example, when this young thing stated she was 50 percent Irish, the Irishman corrected: No you’re not. You’re 100 percent American.
Or when this young thing couldn’t wait to make Reubens on St. Patrick’s Day and the Irishman said: Corned beef isn’t really Irish. We eat much more ham.
Mind. Blown.
We lived in an Irish neighborhood in the Bronx and I was in love with this little Irish diner and this other little Irish diner and also a little Irish counter store and the adorable Irish butcher shop and, to be honest, I never saw a Reuben. But I did see a lot of ham sandwiches.
However, I have vetted this bread and I think I can name it Irish Stout Bread because I made it with Murphy’s, which is brewed in Ireland. So I’m pretty sure this cultural reference is appropriate.
It’s a bit dense and has that lovely bitter tang of an Irish stout. I sliced a loaf while it was still warm and slathered the pieces in butter because any warm, fresh bread, but especially stout bread, plus butter anything, and especially Kerrygold, gives me the romantical food feelings. And that’s the beginning of the story called: How Danielle Ate an Entire Loaf of Bread.
And just FYI, I always tell people I’m 100 percent American when they ask.
Fresh Irish Stout Bread
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1/2 stick, chilled and cut into cubes
- 1 1/2 cups Irish stout such as Guinness or Murphy's
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.
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Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is well-blended and resembles bread crumbs. Add the stout and pulse until a sticky dough is formed.
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On a well-floured or oiled surface, knead dough until smooth. Divide into 4 balls and place on a baking sheet. Dust the tops with flour.
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Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake 5 more minutes until the loaves are puffy and beginning to crack. Place loaves on a wire rack to cool.
