by Gemma Byrne
This is one of those Chinese whispers recipes – I got it from my Dad, who got if from his good friend Dominic, who got it from his friend and so on. Just like Chinese whispers there have been a few tweaks and changes as it was passed along. It’s a hearty and moist brown bread with a lovely crunchy crust. This recipe makes two small loaves.
Ingredients:
500g wholemeal flour
150g porridge oats
40g wheat germ
3 tablespoons seeds (sesame, pumpkin, linseed, sunflower or a mixture of all)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 level tablespoon bread soda (sieved)
2 eggs (beaten)
300 – 400 ml buttermilk
Method:
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Generously grease two 1lb loaf tins.
Mix all dry ingredients in a very large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and most of the buttermilk. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or fork until it forms a sticky dough. If it needs more moisture add the remaining buttermilk. Put half the mixture into each of the loaf tins and flatten out slightly with the back of a spoon. Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 mins. Remove the bread from the loaf tins and return to the oven for a further 5 mins cooking. To make sure the loaves are cooked through, tap them on the base – they should have a hollow sound. Enjoy the bread while it’s still warm with real butter.
