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George--
I don't know if this is what you're looking for. I
have recipes for Irish tea bread and recipes for Irish
brown bread, but none for a brown tea bread. This is
from _The_Complete_Book_of_Breads_ by Bernard Clayton,
Jr., Simon and Shuster, 1973.
-Barbara
Royal Hibernian Brown Loaf
(two round loaves)
An uncommonly rich version of the Irish national
loaf--brown soda bread. The Royal Hibernian Hotel in
Dublin, from whence this recipe came, serves the bread
warm and thin-sliced. Its richness comes from
generous portions of butter and eggs. It is a striking
loaf when it comes from the oven--unfolded like a giant
blossom along cuts across the top.
5 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour, approximately
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (warmed a bit)
2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
2 1/4 cups buttermilk or sour milk
Baking sheets Two baking sheets, greased or Teflon.
Preparation In a large bowl mix together all of the
15 mins. dry ingredients--the two flours, sugar
baking soda and salt. With fingers work
in the butter until it is absorbed by the
flour, and the mixture resembles tiny,
soft bread crumbs. Make a well in the
center of the mixture. In a separate
bowl lightly beat the eggs and stir in
the milk. Gradually pour the egg-milk
mixture into the well, mixing first with
a spoon and then by hand until it forms
a stiff dough. If the dough should
crumble, however, add one or more table-
spoons buttermilk.
Kneading Turn the dough out on a floured surface
3 mins. (a Formica counter is excellent), dust
the hands in flour and knead the dough
lightly. The butter in the dough will
make it easy to work without sticking
to the counter or the hands. Sprinkle
a bit more flour if it does stick.
Shaping With a knife cut the dough into two
3 mins. pieces and shape into plump round balls.
Pat down the tops slightly, and with a
knife or razor blade cut a 1/2-inch-deep
cross on the tops.
Baking Preheat oven to 400 (hot). Place the
400 F. loaves on two baking sheets, and bake
40-50 mins. until they have browned and have opened
dramatically along the cuts. Turn one
over and tap the bottom crust. A hard
hollow sound means the bread is baked.
Final step Remove bread from the oven and place onto
wire racks to cool. Serve thinly sliced.
It can be frozen and reheated later, of
course.
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