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Irish Brown Bread Recipe

No meal in Ireland is complete without a loaf of Irish Brown Bread on the table! This no knead, no yeast Irish Brown Bread recipe is hearty, with a wheaty sweetness that just needs a slather of good Irish butter!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: breads
Cuisine: Irish
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 238kcal

Equipment

  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 1 Wooden spoon
  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cooling rack
  • parchment paper

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup toasted wheat germ
  • ¼ cup old-fashioned oats
  • 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch pieces
  • 2 cups buttermilk

Instructions

  • Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
  • In a large bowl combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat germ, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until evenly mixed.
  • Scatter the butter pieces over the dry ingredients and rub into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles wet sand.
  • Add the buttermilk and stir with a large wooden spoon until the ingredients are combined into a sticky dough. Do not overmix. 
  • Scoop the dough out onto the parchment-lined sheet pan and with wet hands pat the dough to make a round loaf. The dough will be sticky! 
  • Place the pan in a preheated oven and bake the loaf for 30 - to 40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 
  • Remove the Irish bread from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Let cool and then slice with a sharp knife. Serve

Notes

How long can you store this Traditional Irish Brown Bread?
You can store this bread at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. Make sure the bread is well wrapped and store out of the sun. If the bread is a little stale, try toasting it. The flavor will still be delicious.
Can you freeze homemade bread?
This bread is easy to freeze. You can either freeze slices or the whole loaf. Make sure the bread is well wrapped. I wrap my in plastic wrap and either place it in a zip loc bag (making sure to squeeze out the air) or wrap tightly in aluminum foil.
How do I know when the bread is done baking?
The first test is to insert a cake tester into the center of the bread loaf. It should be dry with small crumbs attached to it. If you are unsure, remove the bread with oven mitts and turn it over. Tap the bottom - it should sound hollow if the loaf is fully baked.
Why didn't my loaf fully bake in the middle?
There could be several reasons. Baking bread involves some science - so correctly measuring the ingredients is really important. The other reason could be that the oven temperature isn't accurate. To check your oven's temperature, use an oven thermometer to see if your oven is actually at the temperature you set it at!
 
 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 278mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 2.2mg