Monday, January 17, 2011

Irish Brown Bread

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Scotland has been relatively mild lately. I'm a bit confused by it to be honest, but hey, I'm not complaining. It has, however, been raining almost every day. I love the rain, but I'm actually looking forward to a bit of sun and warmth. On Friday, I am jetting off to Morocco with a few of my friends for a week of sightseeing, escaping from the chill, and great food. After that, we're heading over to Turkey.


I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am to travel! I haven't traveled quite as much as I would have liked since I've been in the UK, so now is my opportunity to really explore. It is the off-season in both Marrakech and Istanbul, which will actually be nice. Fewer tourists. Cheaper accommodation. No sticky, smothering heat. Maybe I should always travel in the winter?



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Anyway, I will definitely be snooping around for delicious things in Marrakech and Istanbul, and I will be sure to report back to you. I wanted to leave you with a little something to do before I left though. I got a few different types of flour for Christmas- an Italian flour good for ciabatta and other airy breads, a French flour good for baguettes, and an Irish flour good for hearty breads. I saw no better use to put the Irish flour to than a good, simple brown bread.


Nothing makes me happier than a slice of slightly sweet brown bread, warm and filling. Add a little knob of butter spread haphazardly over the top and I'm in heaven. This one is not as sweet as some you'll find. Also, it is a bare bones recipe. It doesn't add raisins or seeds or anything else. Do feel free to embellish it if you're feeling adventurous though. Go on, make a loaf. We can pretend you're here in Scotland with me!



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Irish Brown Bread


4 cups Irish-style wholemeal flour
2-3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk and melted butter. Stir together until blended--some lumps will remain. Turn dough onto floured board and knead about 10 times or until it all holds together. Form it into a large ball and place on lightly greased baking sheet. Cut deep cross on top. Bake for 40 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.




2 comments:

  1. Looks like a great blog! Are you studying abroad? I just got back from 4 months of study abroad in Paris. Hope you keep enjoying yourself!

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  2. thank you so much! I am actually studying in St Andrews permanently, and I love it. so glad to hear you like the blog!!

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