Irish Brown Bread

My grandfather was born and raised in Ireland. Although he died before I was born, his Irish roots ran deep in our family. My father and uncles made regular trips to the old country to visit relatives and returned with plenty of amusing stories to tell.

In time, I made several journeys back to Ireland myself and developed a decided kinship to the land of my forefathers. Like every traveller, I was introduced to the full Irish breakfast accompanied by slices of brown bread slathered in thick slabs of butter.

I aspired to master the art of the Irish loaf, and this year for St. Patrick’s day, I’d like to share the results with you!

It’s a bit tricky to get a high, well-risen loaf out of bread that is made of one hundred percent whole wheat flour.

Normally, when water and white flour are mixed and worked together, strands of gluten develop, which give bread the muscle to rise. However, whole grain flour contains bran, which cuts into these strands.

This translates into a rather flat, slightly crumbly loaf. In fact, this bread will hardly rise at all in the oven, so what you see before you bake it is what you get.

The trade-off is the full, sweet, nutty taste of unadulterated whole wheat, which is enhanced when the bread is toasted.

Note that Irish flour is more coarsely ground than most American brands. To more closely approximate a true Irish loaf, I use stoneground flour and add extra wheat bran, both of which are available through Bob’s Red Mill or Arrowhead Mills. You could also order King Arthur’s Irish-style flour from their catalogue.

The traditional method of making this bread—brief kneading and a single rising— makes sense in this context. It also simplifies the job of the baker.

Don’t skip the final step of turning the loaf out of the pan and setting it directly on the oven rack to bake for a few minutes longer. This ensures you will obtain the characteristic thick crust that is the hallmark of this bread.

I often make two small loaves because they can be sliced thinly and served in place of crackers for an appetizer—the perfect accompaniment to smoked salmon, fish pate, or bold cheddar.

In full disclosure, when we children were young, St. Patrick’s Day was usually celebrated with garish green-iced cupcakes (and if we were lucky, the sight of my nana doing an Irish jig). These days, I’d much prefer a slice of this Irish brown bread.

Irish Brown Bread Recipe

Look for bran and stone ground whole wheat flour with the specialty flours in the baking section of your grocery store. Two good brands are Bob's Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills, both of which can also be ordered online.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil spray (for the loaf pan)
• 1 1/2 cups (350g) warm water (about 100°F)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (slightly less than one package)
• 1/2 cup (25 grams) coarse wheat bran, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups (450g) stoneground whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

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