Hearty Irish Wheat Bread
So back in December I decided to start making all of my own bread, no buying in the store. Why? Cost mostly and waste. As much as I love artisan healthy breads they are expensive ranging from $4-$8 a loaf, then halfway through it’s just meh and I waste it.
I’ve made some great ones, apple walnut was a hit, cranberry, healthy grain and nut breads etc. But the biggest hit came with this baby. And where did I get the recipe – well 85% of it at least as I tweak just about every recipe. My mom found it in the back of her fiction novel.
It’s some of the best bread I’ve had – and was SO easy – took about 10 minutes to make and an hour to cook. No yeast, no rising and so good!
Recipe is as follow – items marked with an * are what I added.
Yields 1 Loaf
- 2 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup cracked wheat *
- 2 Tablespoons wheat bran or oat bran *
- 1/4 cup crushed walnuts *
- sunflower or sesame seeds to sprinkle on top 8
Mix all dry ingredients well. Add buttermilk and mix thoroughly into a thick paste.
Empty batter into a greased bread pan – sprinkle seeds on top.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and make sure it has risen. Bake an additional 45 minutes. Make sure when you touch the center it springs back a bit – I usually dip a knife in the middle and pull a bit out to make sure it’s fully cooked.
Multiple the recipe for additional loafs and give to friends, family or just freeze so you don’t have to make more 
Enjoy!
Having troubles finding cracked wheat, in Austin the only place I found it was Natural Grocers though I didn’t check the large Whole Foods, small Whole Foods didn’t have it. So check your local hippie natural foods shop!
