Irish Soda Bread gets is name from baking soda, which is used instead of yeast as the leavening agent. It’s quick and easy to make, with a nutty, sour aroma, and a dense texture perfect for toasting. Made with whole wheat flour and wheat germ, this bread is also exceptionally healthy. Wheat germ is the nutrient-rich embryo of the wheat kernel, bursting with Vitamin E, Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and B-vitamins. In this recipe, toasted wheat germ gives the bread a nutty, mealy texture. You can also sprinkle toasted wheat germ on cereal or yogurt, add it to your favorite baking recipes, or substitute for bread crumbs. Look for it near the oatmeal and cereal at the grocery store.
Toast and slather liberally with salted Irish butter.
Irish Brown Bread
makes 1 (9-inch) round loaf
Ingredients
4 cups whole-wheat flour, plus additional for kneading
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1. Put oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 400°. Butter a 9-by-2 inch round cake pan. Whisk together flour, wheat germ, salt, sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a large bowl until combined well.
2. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Make a well in the center and add buttermilk, stirring until a dough forms. Gently knead on a floured surface, adding just enough more flour to keep the dough from sticking, until smooth, about 3 minutes.
3. Transfer dough to cake pan and flatten to fill pan. With a sharp knife, cut an X (1/2 inch deep) across top of dough (5 inches long). Bake until loaf is lightly browned and sounds hollow when bottom is tapped, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool, right side up, about 1 hour. (Leftover bread keeps, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature, 4 days)
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