Mamo's Brown Bread

If you’ve ever stepped into my mother’s kitchen, you’d know that there is always an irresistible aroma of freshly baked bread and scones wafting through the air. Growing up, I took these delightful treats for granted, only later realizing that not everyone had the pleasure of tasting homemade goodness. When visiting friends’ houses, I’d find neatly packaged sweets that while novel never quite matched the taste of my mothers creation.

One of my all-time favorites is my mother’s crusty yet soft brown bread. As the aroma filled the kitchen, I eagerly awaited the moment it emerged from the oven. Though my impatience begged me to cut into it right away, my mother insisted on letting it cool before slicing. But I must admit, I often sneaked a taste of the crusty heel while it was still warm, spreading it with butter and watching it melt.

The love and praise for her brown bread extended far beyond our family. Anyone who tasted it, showered her with compliments. In fact, I became the official supplier of my mother’s brown bread to a classmate in secondary school who just couldn’t get enough of it.

Now here is, the magic, there’s no precise recipe to share. My mother’s brown bread is an art of imprecise measurements – handfuls and fistful of this and that ingredients. The recipe has been passed down from my grandmother, each aunt adding their own touch. My cousin even thinks that as the ladies aged, their bread changed with them.  Yet in my humble opinion, my mothers version is simply the best. She’s shared her method with my sisters and cousins who have all successfully recreated their own versions in their own homes. 


Recipe for Mammy Irish Brown Bread

2 hand full of plain Flour

1 hand full of Wholemeal Flour

1  teaspoon of bread soda

Buttermilk

Turn the oven on nice and hot 220.C. Place the tray in the oven to have it preheated. 

Sieve together the plain flour and wholemeal flours. Add the sieved bread soda. Add in enough buttermilk to make a wet enough mixture.

Roll the mixture and shape it into a circle. Press it down but not too much, Have it nice and thick. Make the sign of a cross on it to bless the bread. 

Bake in a hot oven for 1 hour.