Makes: 1 round loaf
Time: About 50 minutes
An earthy bread made with whole wheat and baking soda, Irish Brown Bread comes together quickly. It’s a great last-minute loaf to serve with a simple dinner of cheese or salmon or alongside a hearty stew. And it’s good for breakfast too, with butter and jam on top.
1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly flour a baking sheet.
2. Whisk together the flours, wheat germ, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture, breaking it into tiny pieces with your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
3. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and mix until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 3 minutes, until it forms a smooth ball. Shape the dough into a disk about 7 inches in diameter and 2 inches thick.
4. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and use a sharp knife to cut an X into the surface, about ½ inch deep. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the loaf is lightly browned and sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped. Transfer to a rack to cool for 1 hour before serving.
IRISH BROWN RYE BREAD For more complex flavor, use a combination of flours: Decrease the whole wheat flour to 1½ cups and the all-purpose flour to 1½ cups. Add 1 cup rye flour to the flour mixture.
IRISH BROWN OAT BREAD For an even heartier bread with great texture: Substitute toasted rolled oats for the wheat bran; sprinkle the bread with a few extra oats before baking.
IRISH BROWN SEED BREAD Stir 1 tablespoon each sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and flaxseeds into the flour mixture. Lightly sprinkle the bread with a mixture of the seeds before baking.