Breaking Bread, Irish Brown Bread...
a brief interlude before more of Seeing Ireland thru the Irishman's eyes...
A funny thing happened on the way to writing the next installment of Seeing Ireland Through the Irishman’s Eyes.
I was rummaging through the freezer, looking for edamame to toss into a salad of little gems and smoked trout, when I stumbled upon a forgotten treasure: a small piece of Irish Brown Bread I had baked weeks earlier.
Before my trip, I had tucked myself into my tiny kitchen and made a fragrant, hearty loaf. The Irishman often speaks of the brown bread his mother would make, and I—being who I am—knew it was only a matter of time before I tried my hand at it.
As the frozen slice thawed, I set out some butter. Not Kerrygold this time, but Lurpak—a Danish butter, different yet equally delicious. I thought back to that late night in my kitchen: mixing simple ingredients, pulling a warm loaf from the oven, and waiting as long as I could before cutting a slab, slathering it with butter, and biting in. It was nutty, hearty, and pure magic, especially with the butter melting into the warm bread.
The rescued piece toasted beautifully and paired perfectly with dinner. But I’ll confess: once I had cleaned up from my dinner, I found myself back in the kitchen, mixing flour and buttermilk, baking another small loaf. Because some things—like Irish Brown Bread—simply couldn’t wait.
Irish Brown Bread
2 3/4 Cups whole wheat flour
3/4 Cup rolled oats (plus a pinch extra to garnish top of bread)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 Cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp melted butter
Start by gathering the ingredients listed above. Pre-heat the oven to 350. Prepare a bread loaf and set aside.
Add the dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, rolled oats, salt, baking soda) to a mixing bowl and blend together with a whisk. Once they look blended, mix in the brown sugar.
Make a well in the dry flour mix to make room for the liquid ingredients. Pour in the buttermilk, honey, and melted butter. Stir together with a spoon or spatula until all the ingredients are well mixed. It's best to do this by hand so the ingredients don't get over mixed.
Spread the dough into the loaf pan. Garnish the top of the Irish brown bread by sprinkling the top of the dough with rolled oats.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. (If cooking smaller mini loaves, it will only take 45 minutes)
Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool, if you can, slice and serve with Irish butter.
The Irishman has always said that bread—like stories—should be shared. One loaf leads to another, just as one tale leads to the next. And so, even between chapters, I find myself feeding the Irishman… and myself.
Bia maith leat. Bon Appetit. Spis godt
Nice post.