Did you all run out to buy buttermilk for those griddle cakes from Edna Lewis? Do you now have a carton of it slouching about in your fridge, wondering if it will be used up before you have to toss it?
Well, if you're not going to drink a big cold glass of it with your breakfast toast, and frankly that's really more of a hot summer morning thing, here's what you should do with it: make bread. Yes, really. Okay, not really really, but sort of really.
Instead of spending the next 18 hours waiting for your (admittedly delicious) no-knead dough to proof, just mix that buttermilk with some whole-wheat flour, regular flour, salt, baking soda, and an egg, and - hey presto! - an hour later you'll have a loaf of warm bread. There's no proofing, no rising. Just a simple batter that rises quickly in the oven.
Those savvy bakers among you might recognize that the texture and flavor of the bread will be akin to biscuits, albeit more wholesome, nourishing ones, I suppose. So that's what I meant by not really really. This isn't yeast bread, it's soda bread, but it'll do quite nicely if you're in one of those moods where you need something warm and craggy to put a waxy slab of butter on and nothing but fresh bread will do.
As delicious as it is straight from the oven, you'd better have a few people to help you with the loaf, because it doesn't last for more than a day or two. But while it's fresh and hot, eat the bread with wedges of sharp Cheddar or spread it with good unsalted butter (or good unsalted butter and cherry jam).
And in other news, you can now find this site at www.thewednesdaychef.com, so if you feel like updating your bookmarks or links, go for it. The old Typepad address will still continue to work, however, so don't worry about broken links or anything like that. I have to thank the kind and patient Laura at Typepad for helping me with this. Thanks, Laura!
Irish Brown Bread
Makes 1 loaf
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Butter an 8-by-5-inch metal loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk both flours with the baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the egg; stir into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until a rough dough forms.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. Form the dough into a loaf and put it in the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the bread has risen about 1/2 inch above the rim of the pan. Once unmolded, the loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Let cool to warm or room temperature, then slice and serve.
This bread sounds wonderful! And the cherry jam looks delicious, too. May I ask what brand it is? (Or perhaps homemade?)
Posted by: Sarah K. | March 23, 2008 at 06:19 PM
I'm always looking for something to do with the two or three cups of buttermilk left from every quart I buy. I'm really in love with the powdered buttermilk now -- easy to store, and you can mix just as much as you need for baking.
Posted by: Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) | March 23, 2008 at 07:38 PM
Sounds yummy...will keep this in mind next time I want bread, fast.
I usually use buttermilk leftover from baking projects in my morning smoothies. Adds a nice tart flavor, like yogurt...
Posted by: Ellen | March 23, 2008 at 11:42 PM
Sarah - the jam brand is Favorit. I think Ben's mother gave us this jar - she finds it at her grocery store in upstate New York. I saw it recently at a little cheese shop on 2nd Avenue. Tragically, the jar of homemade cherry jam that my mother made last year and that I schlepped home from Italy and opened this weekend turned out to have gone bad. First time that's ever happened! Now I've got no jam at all...
Posted by: Luisa | March 24, 2008 at 10:22 AM
I made this today, with Whole Wheat Pastry Flour and All Purpose Flour (half and half). I had no metal pan so instead I used a glass one. Besides taking it out before it was done and putting it back in (why do I always do this? Will I ever learn?), this bread is super simple and delicious. It's "healthy" without being heavy. Yay!
Posted by: amysue | March 24, 2008 at 05:41 PM
Congratulations on the new url! I always loved this kind of bread, simple and nubbly and good.
Posted by: Mercedes | March 24, 2008 at 07:28 PM
I love soda breads -- and blogged about one of my favorites last week. I actually like them better toasted than fresh from the oven -- and that jam looks like a fabulous accompaniment. At my beach house, I keep powdered buttermilk on hand so if I run out of bread I can stir together a soda bread and thus not have to leave sea and sand.
Posted by: casey | March 24, 2008 at 08:26 PM
Mmmmm...I made one of these for St. Pat's Day & it was delicious! (Although one of our guests informed me it tastes "weird".)
Posted by: Sarah | March 25, 2008 at 12:02 PM