Brown bread is the staple of Irish homes, Eileen writes, with as many recipes as there are cooks in Irish kitchens. I wouldn’t be surprised. We found this bread and the white soda bread, a regular offer in every pub and restaurant we visited.
Wholemeal flour, you may be aware, retains the outer husk and inner germ where all the nutrients live. Making it far more beneficial than white bread, which has had those bits removed. Feel free to experiment with wheatgerm, ground sunflower seeds, or a little more white flour. The recipe will hold up either way.
Serve with smoked salmon, mackerel, cream cheese, or blackberry jam. Actually, any berry jam will do. You can also serve it with a bowl of wild mushroom soup and twelve miles of Irish countryside ahead of you. It’s that kind of bread.
Notes
Reserve a little of the buttermilk until you’re sure the dough will not be too wet. Add it gradually.
The dough will feel denser and slightly stickier than the white bread dough.
A Swedish or spring dough whisk makes mixing considerably easier. Worth having one in your kitchen.
Don’t worry if the dough looks rustic or shaggy. The goal is to handle it as little as possible to keep the inside light and tender.
I use a stainless steel ruler to check depth when shaping.
Check the bread at 30 minutes. Your oven may have it ready by then. Mine did.
Sláinte
While You’re Here…
I’m Jennifer Ann Blair. I write about food, wine, memory, and place, following stories that deserve a closer look. I hold WSET Level 3 with Merit and write from the California desert, usually with Archie, my German Shepherd, somewhere nearby.
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