Recipe: Irish Brown Bread

BROWN BREAD
"Apart from potatoes, nothing is more synonymous with the food of Ireland than brown bread. You find it served there with just about anything, from breakfast to Christmas dinner."



2 cups Irish-style wholemeal flour*
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced, plus more for serving
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly dust a baking sheet with flour.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt. Using your fingertips, rub the butter pieces into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk and egg; work them into the dough with your hands just until they are incorporated. Do not overmix the dough.

TO BAKE THE BREAD:
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a round loaf about 8-inches in diameter. Place it on the baking sheet and, using a sharp knife, cut a cross into its top about 1/2-inch deep.

Bake for 40 minutes, until well browned. Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before serving with lots of butter.

*One source of Irish-style wholemeal flour is King Arthur Flour.

Makes 1 (1 lb.) loaf
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Ten Speed Press
Adapted from source: My Irish Table by Cathal Armstrong and David Hagedorn