Author Notes
Most soda breads are inauthentic and mildly disgusting, and only Americans seem to eat them, but this recipe (derived from Sally Schneider and Maria Robledo's "The Art of Low-Calorie Cooking") produces a loaf remarkably similar to the brown bread they served twenty years ago in Bewley's Tearoom on Grafton Street in Dublin. It's great with good butter and contains so much fiber you could probably knit a sweater out of it. —sidthecat
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Ingredients
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1 cup
whole wheat flour
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2 tablespoons
whole wheat flour - reserved
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1/2 cup
all-purpose flour
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2 1/2 tablespoons
rolled oats
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2 1/2 tablespoons
oat bran
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1 teaspoon
dark brown sugar (packed)
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3/4 teaspoon
salt
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1/2 teaspoon
baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon
baking soda
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6 tablespoons
buttermilk (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
Directions
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Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
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Stir the dry ingredients together.
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Slowly stir in 1/4 cup of the buttermilk, then slowly add the rest, until you have a dough that is soft but not too wet.
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Knead the dough for about two minutes, until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth. If it gets too wet, add a bit of flour.
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Form the dough into a round loaf and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (alternately, butter a loaf pan and place the dough in that).
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Slash the top of the loaf (a cross looks good on the round loaf) and bake 30-35 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the loaf sounds hollow when thumped.
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Let cool on a rack and serve with the best butter you can find. Kerrygold is not inappropriate.
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