Irish Brown Bread ☘
Irish Brown Bread is a hearty, rustic loaf with a dense, crumbly texture and a nutty, rich flavor. Made with wholemeal flour, oats, and buttermilk, it offers a subtle sweetness and a hint of tang. Perfectly crusty on the outside, it pairs wonderfully with creamy butter, soups, or hearty stews. Or how about with a slice of smoked salmon, black pepper, and a wedge of lemon. Or keep it simple, and even more delicious, straight out of the oven with lashings of butter. YUM!!The original recipe, which dates back to 1836, called for only four basic ingredients: flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda, and an acid to engage with the soda. At first, weak hydrochloric acid was used as the acid element; but, for practical reasons, sour milk or buttermilk that was leftover from butter making was eventually used.
Ingredients
- ❀ 450g wholewheat flour
- ❀ 75g Plain flour
- ❀ 1 large tbsp oats
- ❀ 1 large tbsp wheat germ or wheat bran
- ❀ 1 large tbsp sunflower seeds keep a few extra for sprinkling
- ❀ 1 large tbsp pumpkin seeds keep a few extra for sprinkling
- ❀ 1 large tbsp brown sugar
- ❀ 1 tsp baking powder
- ❀ 2 ¼ cups whole buttermilk
- ❀ Butter for greasing the loaf tin
Instructions
- Grease the loaf tin with a small amount of butter.
- Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl, including the seeds.
- Use a little of the flour mix to dust around the loaf tin. Tap excess back into the bowl.
- Form a well in the center of the bowl.
- Gradually add the buttermilk to the flour mix with your hands. Until it forms a dough and has the consistency of porridge.
- Pour the mixture into the loaf tin.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 45mins.
- Run a knife round the edges of the bread, so that it slips out of the tin.
- Bake upside down for another 5-10 minutes, depending on your oven. It’s done when you tap on the bottom of the bread, and it sounds hollow.
- Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Store in an air-tight container once completely cooled.