There are many reasons to love the arrival of March…Spring, Warmer Weather, Flowers &
ST. PATRICK’S DAY!
This is the day we are all Irish…if even for just one day.
We don the green, we pinch those who don’t and we love heading to the parades and pubs.
Being Irish, I love watching everyone celebrate my Irish ancestors! Talking about my times in Ireland, time spent traveling the countryside, getting to know the history and people of the Emerald Isle is something I really enjoy sharing. St. Patrick’s Day invites me to do all of it!
One of the pieces of Ireland that I’ve brought back and love to experience in my own kitchen is the art of making traditional brown bread. Inbetween working on new works of art I enjoy stirring-up a quick batch of Brown Bread.
If you are looking for a special Irish treat to celebrate the holiday with I highly recommend Traditional Brown Bread. It is super easy to make and brings the warm homey fragrance of freshly baked bread to the entire house. This wonderful fragrance has a way of transporting the entire house to the beautiful green sunny shores of Ireland. My favorite recipe for brown bread is one I picked up from the Gouganebarra Hotel in County Cork. Gouganebarra is a really special place to visit and spend some quality time. It has made it into many of my photographs and paintings.
One of the reasons this recipe is a favorite is that it contains treacle . If you have never had treacle before it brings a sweet syrupy molasses/honey flavor to the bread. I have found that I love this bread toasted in the mornings as much as a sidekick to a hearty soup.
Another ingredient this recipe calls for is Irish Wholemeal Flour. In the states this ingredient can be challenging to find at the local grocer but I choose to do an online order from King Arthur flour. This flour is a special coarsely ground, dense red whole wheat flour.
Another way to enjoy the bread is with some Kerrygold Dubliner Cheddar Cheese, Kerrygold butter or live on the edge and include BOTH! This bread also is terrific to take on a long hike for an energy snack.
Whatever you do in March enjoy the refreshing outdoors and bring a bit of the Irish to your kitchen.
Tóg go bog é – Take it Easy!
If you’d like me to email this brown bread recipe, in the comments below leave the best way to send it or message me and I’ll send it on over.