Recipe: Irish brown bread

Mar 17, 2020 | Tara Schmidt | @taraschmidt

Horse shoe and 4-leaf clover

This hearty bread is easy to make – no yeast included! It is commonly served in Ireland, cut into wedges and served with jam. Consider mashing some of your favorite berries together, instead, to save on added sugars.

Number of servings: 24

Serving Size: 1 slice

Ingredients

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading and dusting
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

Heat the oven to 400 F. Have a nonstick baking sheet ready.

In a bowl, combine the flours, wheat germ, baking soda and salt. Whisk to blend. Add buttermilk and egg and stir just until moistened. The dough will be sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a generously floured work surface and, with floured hands, gently knead it 8 to 10 times. Gather into a loose ball.

On the baking sheet, form the dough into a 7-inch round. Dust the top of dough with a small amount of flour. Cut a large (4-inch) X into the top of the dough, cutting about 1/2 inch deep.

Bake until the bread splits open at the X and makes a hollow sound when the underside is tapped, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 2 hours (ideally) before slicing.

Nutritional analysis per serving: