Irish Buttermilk Brown Bread (King Arthur) by Barbara

Tender and Moist

When we traveled through Vermont on the way back from Maine last August, we stopped at King Arthur.  Highly recommend.  It's off I-91, on the border of New Hampshire.  It has a great bakery, coffee shop and gift shop in addition to the cooking school.  I bought their special blend of Irish-style flour with the hope I could bake bread similar to what we've had during our visits to Ireland.

Recently, I noticed that the "best buy" date is past due, so I decided I'd better use it up.  

This recipe is from the King Arthur catalog which they mail out to customers and it is also online here on their very nice website.

Darn, the bread isn't exactly what I am looking to re-create, but it is a good recipe, worthy of making again. Guess we'll just have to go back to Ireland...  

Made one to eat now, and one to freeze for later.    

In the past, when I haven't had access to this special blend of flour, I've used wheat bran and wheat germ to supplement the flour.  See this recipe on the blog:  Irish Brown Soda Bread 

---Barbara

Irish Buttermilk Brown Bread

(adapted from a King Arthur flour recipe)

Makes one round loaf

440g (4 cups) King Arthur Irish-style flour

3 T. granulated sugar

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

1.5 cups buttermilk

2 T. melted butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  

Grease the sides of a round pan with butter -- mine was 9 inch but they said to use 8 inch --- and line it with a round piece of parchment paper, cut to fit --- they said to use a silicone pan liner on the bottom.  

In a large bowl, weigh out the flour.  Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar.  Stir together well.

Melt the butter, and let it cool slightly.

Looks like a fried egg but it's not.  

Make a large hole in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk, then the butter.  

Stir together until blended.  It will be lumpy.

Turn out on to a floured surface --- I use a cutting board for easy clean-up --- and knead together about 10 times until it all holds together.  

Form the dough into a ball and place in the prepared pan.  Cut a deep cross in the top with a sharp knife.

Midway through baking

Bake the bread for 40 minutes or until a paring knife comes out clean.  

Remove the bread from the oven and remove it carefully from the pan, and remove the parchment liner.

Let cool on a rack.

Serve with sweet butter.

B