Irish Brown Bread
Makes 1 loaf (about 24 slices)
Nutrition per serving (1 slice): calories: 74, fat: 1g (saturated: 0g), carbohydrates: 14g, protein: 3g, fiber: 2g, sugar: 1g, sodium: 146mg
2½ cups (12 ounces) whole-wheat flour
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1½ ounces) old fashioned oats
2 teaspoons sugar
1½ teaspoon kosher salt
1½ teaspoon baking powder
1½ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
Adjust oven rack to center position and heat the oven to 450°F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan and dust with some whole wheat flour. Alternately, you can bake the bread on a baking sheet.
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large wide bowl. Add buttermilk and stir in with a rubber spatula until all the flour is moistened. The dough should be soft, raggagedy mass, but not too wet and sticky. Turn dough out onto a well-floured board (use whole-wheat flour).
Knead the dough gently with floury hands for a second, just enough to tidy up the dough. Flip over and flatten slightly to about 6-inches wide- the surface will be craggy). Using a serrated knife, cut a ½-inch-deep cross about 5 inches long on top of the loaf. Transfer dough to the prepared cake pan or sheet pan (if using a sheet pan, dust the bottom of the pan with some flour). Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 400° degrees for 35-40 minutes. The bread will sound hollow when tapped on both sides. Cool on a wire rack, wrapped in a clean tea towel while hot if you prefer a softer crust.
