Guinness Bread with Molasses

Ingredients

• 3 cups self-rising flour*
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
• A pinch of salt
• 12 ounces of Guinness extra stout
• Butter for greasing the pan and painting the top, about 3 tablespoons

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F, then butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan generously. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the sugar and salt.
2. Pour the Guinness into the dry mixture gradually. The pub cans hold more than 12 ounces and tend to be nicely carbonated, so use 12 ounces for the batter and save the extra sip; a 12-ounce bottle works too.
3. Begin mixing the beer into the flour mixture, and once it is roughly halfway incorporated, add the molasses. Stir well enough to bring the batter together. It will look like batter, not dough, and you want it free of lumps without beating it into submission.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, filling it no higher than 2/3 full. Move it into the oven right away and bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes. Ovens vary, so start checking at 40 minutes; the bread is ready when a tester inserted into the deepest part of the loaf comes out clean.
5. Let the loaf rest briefly in the pan, about 5 minutes, then turn it onto a rack. Brush the top generously with softened butter, letting it melt as you go.