Recipe: Brown Soda Bread (using whole wheat flour, wheat germ and bran, no yeast)

BROWN SODA BREAD

"Normally, Irish soda breads tend to be a bit dry, but this recipe uses wheat germ and bran to make an extremely moist, rich, almost butter-tasting bread, densely textures and flavorful, with more than a little fiber. It's a perfect foil for thinly sliced smoked salmon, but there's nothing wimpy here. This heavy, dark bread is just right for manly bakers."

2 cups all-purpose white flour, plus extra for kneading
2 cups stone-ground whole wheat flour
3/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup wheat bran
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix together the 2 cups white flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, wheat bran, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Beat together the eggs and buttermilk in a small bowl.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour the egg-and-buttermilk mixture into the well all at once, and mix well with a wooden spoon till a soft dough forms.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup flour onto a clean countertop and scrape all the dough out onto the floured surface. Coat your clean hands with flour and knead the dough for about 2 minutes, until it is smooth. With a dough scraper or knife, divide the dough in half, and form each half into a slightly flattened ball. Place the 2 rounds of dough on a floured baking sheet and slash a right angle cross about 1/2-inch deep into the top of each with a knife or razor blade.

Place the loaves on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the loaves are deep brown.

Remove from the oven and cool the loaves on a wire rack for at least half an hour. Don't cut the bread till it cools, otherwise the steam will escape and dry it out. The bread is great with a liberal coating of butter.

Makes 2 loaves
Source: Bake It Like a Man by David and Sharon Bowers