irish brown bread

my mother's irish soda bread is legendary. not wanting to compete with her, i went a different route this weekend. i adapted a recipe from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider (thanks, ODP!) to be 100% whole grain, and even added some flax meal for omega-3s. you could easily use oat bran or wheat germ in place of the flax meal.

the bread was flavorful, tender, and delicious - a bit crumbly, but perfect for breakfast with a bit of blackberry jam. next time i would make the slashes on the tops of the loaves much deeper for more even rising.

Irish Brown Bread
(from A New Way to Cook)
About 2 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour, if you must)
1/3 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1/3 cup flax meal (or oat bran, or wheat germ)
2 t. dark brown sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
3 T. unsalted butter, melted
about 1/2 t. canola oil to grease baking sheet

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups of the whole wheat flour, the pastry flour, rolled oats, flax meal, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and paking soda. With a fork, stir in 1 1/2 cups of the buttermilk and the melted butter. Add more buttermilk, little by little, just until a soft but not too wet dough forms. Knead the dough in the bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes. If the dough is too wet, knead in up to 4 t. more whole wheat flour, 1 t. at a time.

Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball and place 4 inches apart on an oiled baking sheet. Flatten slightly. Using a sharp knive, make 2 crisscrossing slashes on top of each loaf.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Place on a rack to cool.