IRISH BROWN BREAD
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr
You'll love this nutty, whole-meal bread. You can get wholemeal from King Arthur
And if you don't have buttermilk on hand you can make an excellent facsimile by adding 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice to each 1 cup (250ml) whole milk. Let it sit for 15 minutes and voila!
Servings: 1 loaf
Ingredients
- 2-1/4 cups (12 ounces;360g) white unbleached flour
- ¾ cup (4 ounces; 120g) wholemeal (see King Arthur link above)
- ½ cup (1 ounce;30g) bran
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon white or brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1-1/2 cups (375ml) buttermilk
Instructions
-
Line a regular loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3-inches; 22.5 x 12.5 x 7.5cm) with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 425F (220C).
-
Place all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together, using your fingers. Again, using your fingers work the butter into the dry ingredients until you really can’t notice it’s there. To do this, just rub the butter and the dry ingredients between your fingertips – it’s easy.
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Add the butter milk and stir, either using a wooden spoon or your hands, to obtain a “porridge-like” dough. It will be quite wet, almost a batter.
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Pour or spoon (or flap with your hand, the way Ollie does) the dough into the prepared baking pan. Spread it out gently so it is even, then slice down through the center of it, using a plastic scraper or a knife, so the bread will rise evenly.
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Place on the center rack of the pre-heated oven and bake until the bread is golden and raised, which will take 40 to 45 minutes.
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Remove from the oven, turn out of the pan onto a wire cooling rack, and let cool before eating.
