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FondueAn extremely unadventurous eater asa child, Brigid remembers her visits tofamily in Ireland as an exercise in trying toconvince her parents that she
could
liveoff Cadbury Fruit and Nut bars, ginger ale,and brown bread with Kerrygold butter.Although her parents didn’t see eye-to-eye with her on the rst two, brown breadwas always plentiful, delicious, and parentapproved at every meal (the butter wasnegotiable). Few breads require so littleeffort in return for such a satisfying payoff.Brown bread is actually better after it hassat for several hours, so you might want tomake it a day before you plan to serve it.2 cups unbleached all-purpose our2 cups whole wheat our
1
/
2
cup toasted wheat germ
1
/
2
cup old-fashioned oats2 tablespoons brown sugar1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt2 teaspoons baking soda4 ounces cold unsalted butter,cut into pieces2
1
/
2
cups buttermilkPreheat the oven to 400ºF. Grease a bakingsheet or line it with parchment paper. Ina large bowl, combine the ours, wheatgerm, oats, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of the salt, and baking soda and toss to mixwell. Add the butter pieces and rub intothe our mixture with your ngers until themixture resembles coarse meal. Make awell in the center of the our mixture andpour in the buttermilk. Stir with a woodenspoon or rubber spatula until a soft, stickydough forms. Wet your hands slightly andgather the dough into a ball. Place it onthe prepared baking sheet (if making twosmaller loaves, divide the dough intotwo balls and place 3 to 4 inches apart onthe baking sheet), shaping it into a uniformround loaf. Press on the top of the loaf to atten it slightly. Bake until the loaf isgolden brown on top and resists gentlepressure when pressed, 50 to 60 minutes.Allow the bread to cool completely on acooling rack before cutting. Store the breadat room temperature wrapped in a kitchentowel to preserve the crust or in a freezerbag for a softer loaf. The bread will keepfor several days at room temperature.
Makes one 2-pound or two 1-poundloaves