Irish Brown Bread

Irish brown bread is a favorite of mine and I especially love it with lamb stew. There's nothing like a slice of hearty brown bread to soak up the gravy in a stew. Many years ago I had brown bread in Ireland and no matter what I do, I can never recreate how delicious it was. The wheat there is a bit different and it's ground differently and of course the water tastes different but I've tried my best and this recipe comes close. And it goes fantastic along side my Instant Pot Lamb Stew recipe.

Irish brown bread is a traditional bread in Ireland but if you'd like something a bit sweeter, try my Irish soda bread recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 5 ounces warm water (not hot)
• 10 ounces warm water (not hot)
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Parchment paper

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the wheat flour, white flour, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 5 ounces of warm water with the molasses. Stir until completely combined, then sprinkle in the yeast, stir gently to combine. Let it sit until the yeast begins to foam, about 10 minutes.

Pour the yeast mixture and the 10 ounces of warm water into the flour mixture and mix until it's all combined and sticky. It will have a bit of a rough texture.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand 10 minutes.

While the dough is resting, prepare the bread pan. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the bread pan, then set the parchment paper aside. Spray the bottom and sides with non-stick spray. Add the measured parchment paper to the bottom of the non-stick pan and spray the paper with non-stick spray. 

Pour the dough into the bread pan, spread it evenly in the bread pan, cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for about 20-25 minutes. The dough will look like this:

While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Add the risen dough to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. This what the bread looks like when you take it out to finish cooking upside down:

Reduce the heat to 400 degrees, remove the bread from the bread pan and put it upside down directly onto the oven rack. Cook for 15 minutes. 

Remove bread and allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Hint: Make sure the water you are using is warm. Not hot. Not cool. Think of the three bears. If it's just right...your yeast will love it. You want tepid water here. (100 degrees Fahrenheit, 38 degrees Celsius)

Storage

To keep the bread fresh, wrap in aluminum foil and keep on the counter for up to 4 days.

To freeze, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then put in a freezer bag. The bread will stay fresh for up to three months. Allow the bread to thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

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