Classic Irish Brown Soda Bread

Traditionally this doesn't have raisins, I have no idea why here in America they do that? That is a completely different bread all until itself.

Classic Brown Soda Bread
( Makes 1-medium loaf, which serves roughly 6-8 depending on how you slice it. )

3-Cups Coarse, Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour ( I use organic )
1-Cup All-Purposed Flour ( I use unbleached organic )
1-Tsp Baking Soda ( Bicarbonate )
1-Tsp Salt
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 Cups Buttermilk ( Organic or I make my own )

Pre-heat your oven to 425-degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, soda, and salt. Add enough of the Buttermilk to make a stiff dough. Blend all ingredients thoroughly. You can do this by hand or with a stand mixer with a bread hook. Either or is fine.

Sprinkle a little flour onto a cutting board or solid surface and then turn out the dough. Tip: Put a damp dish towel under your cutting board, this prevents the board from slipping. Shape the dough with your hands into a round, it doesn't have to be perfect. Now, use a sharp knife to make a large X about an inch deep across the entire surface. "This let's the Devil out." (Wink) It also helps cook the bread evenly when it rises.  Place the bread on a rimless baking sheet. I line mine with Parchment Paper for easy clean up and it prevents the bread from sticking.

Bake the bread for 30-40-minutes, until it rises and is golden-brown on the top. When you remove the bread from the oven, lay the bread upright and give it a thump on the back, it should sound hollow. **Be careful the bread is extremely hot, you can use an oven mitt to do this if you like.** What I do is melt about 2-Tbls of butter in to a small bowl and spread it across the top, sides and bottom of the bread with a pastry brush, it gives the bread even more of a deeper golden-brown color. *Traditionally they don't do this.* Pop the bread back in to the oven for about 5-minutes. The butter also will give a little bit of a sheen to the bread.

Now, remove the bread from the oven and wrap it in a clean tea towel and place it on a rack for cooling. Let it completely cool before slicing. You really need to eat this the day of baking, it tends to get a bit hard if you don't. I wrap mine in plastic wrap and then seal it in a zip-lock plastic bag and that seems to keep it longer. This is a dense bread and it isn't sweet, so just be warned. It is delicious with butter or flavored butters like I make, the honey butter is amazing with this bread, along with jams, preserves, etc.,. It also makes a great toast or even Bread Pudding. Enjoy!