Irish Brown Bread
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 180kcal
We discovered Brown Bread on our trip to Ireland and had it everywhere we stopped. Now that we're home and missing those hearty slices, it's time to make this brown soda bread in my own kitchen.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups Irish Style (wholemeal) flour
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 4½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Have ready an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven or a baking sheet. Line the pot or the baking sheet with parchment paper. Have a floured surface ready for a quick knead on the dough, and a bench scraper if you have one.
- Stir together in a large bowl the Irish whole meal flour, all-purpose flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour in most of the buttermilk and stir it into the dry ingredients. If the mixture still seems very dry, stir in the rest of the buttermilk.
- Turn out the contents of the bowl onto the floured surface - the dough will still have some dry flour visible. Give the dough just a few quick squeezes to pull it together. (You don't want to over-knead this bread as it will make it tough once baked.)
- Quickly shape it into a ball and place the dough into the pot or on the baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to slash the top of the dough.
- Place the pot or baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375° F and bake the bread for another 40-45 minutes. The bread should be risen and browned, and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Remove the bread to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing it.
- Serve slices of the bread with butter and jam. Tightly wrap leftover bread and use it within 2-3 days.
Notes
- You can get authentic Irish wholemeal flour like Odlums online, or if you're coming home from Ireland bring some with you! Another option that is readily available is King Arthur Baking Company's Irish Style Flour - get it at their website or at the Baking Store in Norwich, VT.
- This brown bread recipes uses a combination of wholemeal and white flours, to get a loaf that's soft with a great texture and a decent rise.
- I baked my bread in a round enameled Dutch oven, which keeps the loaf compact and nicely shaped. You can just as easily bake the loaf on a baking sheet if you'd prefer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 2mg
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