Brown Soda Bread

Here is a variation of traditional Irish soda bread. My husband and I both really enjoyed it with our corned beef and cabbage. It was a nice change from a white bread. I couldn't find currants here in Missouri, so I put in a dried cranberry, golden raisin, and raisin mix. I got the recipe from a bargain book from Borders, Irish food & cooking.






Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
4 cups of whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of currants (I used about 1 1/2 cups of my cranberry-raisin mixture)
2-2 1/2 cups buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, and grease a baking sheet.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir in enough buttermilk to make a fairly soft dough. (Mine used the full 2 1/2 cups)
3. Turn on to a work surface dusted with whole wheat flour and knead lightly until smooth.
4. Form the dough into a circle, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Lay on the baking sheet and mark a deep cross in the top with a floured knife.
5. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the bread is browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the base.
   
6. Cool on a wire rack.

*After baking this, I probably would have done a light egg wash on the top of the bread so it would have browned better.