I live in a bubble. Sometimes I forget that I am an American living in a small town in the mountains just outside Rio de Janeiro. The bubble bursts every once in a while, usually during sporting events involving national teams, or at the arrival of a holiday. I raised a beer with a group of friends exclaiming, “Hey, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!” last Saturday. My sudden, energetic and unintelligible toast left them with a mix of expressions ranging from bewilderment to gently patronizing exception. It is moments like this that I remember that I am a bit of a fish out of water.First, let it be said, I’m a good expat. I am fluent in Portuguese, read the local paper, am active in my kids’ school, have a great group of friends and keep up with the goings-on in my community. Many people that know me say that they didn’t know I wasn’t Brazilian before I told them. They just thought I was from the south, or had spent some time abroad and picked up an accent. I am proud of that. But no matter how much cultural immersion, there is still a cultural bubble that I have created around myself like some kind of cocoon. I listen to NPR far more often than I watch Jornal Nacional. Conversations about the latest twists of the novela or who was voted off Big Brother Brasil leave me lost, but I can tell you who was on Craig Ferguson last night. I don’t think I artificially cultivate my foreignness in any way. I just laugh more at jokes in English. I feel I need to keep up with the Republican primaries – like I said, I laugh more at jokes in English.
Just because my friends don’t know what St. Patrick’s Day is didn’t mean I didn’t celebrate it. Back home in the bubble for dinner with the with the family, I put green food coloring in our Bohemias, served an Irishish stew and made a dark beer bread. The recipe for the bread is from the Irish mill and flour company Odlums. The recipe calls, naturally, for Guinness stout. Guinness is extremely difficult to find in Brazil and if I could get my hands on one I would not make bread with it! I had to turn to one of our local dark beers.
I enjoy Brazilian beers. There are some really well-made beers here, including those from the cevejarias Colorado and Therezopolis. My favorite stout-like beer to drink is Xingu and I make a pretty good pot roast with Malzbier. But those beers are rather sweet and I thought they might turn my dreams of dark, dense soda bread into pudding. I opted for Caracu, a true stout with a little more heft and bitterness. It was perfect for the bread, and partnered rather well with the non-green Bohemia making an excellent black-and-tan. 
Brazilian Stout Bread
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: makes one 12-inch loaf 1x
Description
This dense, whole-wheat bread is made with Brazilian stout Caracu, offering a slight bitterness balanced by a touch of sweetness from local molasses.
Ingredients
- 500g/17oz. whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 25g/5 tsp rolled oats
- 60g/4 tbsp demerara sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 50g/2oz. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 400ml (a 350ml bottle) Brazilian stout Caracu
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F). Grease a large loaf pan to prevent sticking.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, baking powder, rolled oats, demerara sugar, and salt. Stir until evenly mixed and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt the unsalted butter over low heat. Once melted, add the molasses and stir until fully combined.
- Pour the melted butter and molasses mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir gently to incorporate.
- Gradually add the Brazilian stout Caracu to the mixture, stirring continuously until a thick batter forms. Ensure there are no dry spots or lumps.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes, or until the top is firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Caracu stout adds a unique bitterness that complements the sweetness of the molasses.
- This bread pairs well with hearty stews or can be enjoyed on its own with butter.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- If you can’t find Caracu, any stout with a similar bitterness will work.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: Brazilian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 8
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 35
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 15
Find it online: https://honestcooking.com/brazilian-stout-bread/
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Caracu and can I use a different beer?
Caracu is a Brazilian stout that the author chose over sweeter local beers (like Xingu or Malzbier) precisely because its bitterness and heft make it a closer match to Guinness — the stout called for in the original Irish Odlums recipe. The notes confirm that any stout with similar bitterness will work if Caracu is unavailable.
Why does the recipe use molasses alongside the stout?
The notes describe how each bite has a slight bitterness from the stout and a touch of sweetness from the molasses — the 1 tbsp of molasses is melted with 50 g of butter before being combined with the dry ingredients, creating a balanced dark, dense soda bread with the 400 ml of Caracu.
What kind of bread is this and what should I serve it with?
This is a soda-style bread — no yeast, just baking powder — made with 500 g of whole wheat flour and rolled oats, baked at 190°C (375°F) for about 50 minutes. The notes suggest it pairs well with hearty stews or can be eaten on its own with butter; the author’s family enjoyed it alongside an Irish-ish stew.
i love you
Ha – I think the whole world is laughing at the Republican primaries, no matter what the language! ;-) Loved the post, Suzie, and am keen to try to the bread!