Brown Soda Bread

This wonderful variation of Irish Soda Bread comes from "Cook's Country" online, Feb./Mar. 2013. The traditional soda bread recipe, that I have been making for years, is made with white flour and is delicious, but the addition of whole- wheat flour and wheat germ takes the flavor to a whole new level. We loved it with butter and honey alongside our Split Pea Soup, recipe posted on 9/2/2014, this week for dinner. Soda bread is also wonderful with potato soup, so you might try Sausage Potato Soup with Sage, recipe posted on 1/3/2014, or Potato Soup, Florentine Style, recipe posted on 2/6/2013. However you serve it, it is a wonderful bread. Blessings...

Recipe:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1-3/4 cups buttermilk (I use low-fat)
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (I used salted butter)

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Combine buttermilk and 2 tbsp. melted butter in 2-cup liquid measuring cup.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula or wooden spoon until dough just comes together. Turn out dough onto lightly floured counter and knead until cohesive mass forms, about 8 turns.
5. Pat dough into 7-inch round and transfer to prepared sheet. Using sharp serrated knife, make 1/4-inch-deep cross about 5-inches long on top of loaf.
6. Bake until skewer inserted in center comes out clean and loaf registers 195 degrees, 45 to 50 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
7. Remove bread from oven. Brush with remaining 1 tbsp. melted butter. Transfer loaf to wire rack and let cool for at least 1 hour.

Yield: 16 slices (see note)
138 calories each
2 gms. fiber
Note: I cut the loaf into quarters, then cut each quarter into 4 slices. The bread cuts very nicely, this way, into serving-size pieces.
Note: I did not test the internal temperature of the loaf and it turned out beautifully after 45 minutes of baking. I covered the loaf with foil when I turned it at 25 minutes to prohibit over-browning.