Ballymaloe Brown Bread
It’s a little bit unusual to have a bread recipe (involving not a single vegetable) as our Farm & Feast recipe of the week! However, this is such a good recipe I feel I need to share it. It was developed by the late Myrtle Allen of Ballymaloe House. I heard it was created at the request of the Irish government as a wholesome and nutritious bread recipe for working women during the 2nd World War. I’ve know idea whether it is true, but regardless it is a brilliantly tasty and easy bread recipe.
If you make one bread in life, make it this one.
Makes 2 large loaf tins, (or large flat loaf 20cm x 30cm)
800g strong brown flour
100g strong white flour
2 teaspoon salt
300ml tepid water, plus 550ml of warm water (850ml water total)
5 teaspoons dried yeast
2 generous teaspoons black treacle
Brush the inside of your loaf tins with sunflower oil. If your loaf tins are not well seasoned you may want to line them with some greaseproof paper too.
Measure out 850ml of warm water - it should be approximately body temperature. When you test it with your finger it shouldn’t feel cold or warm.
Pour 300ml of the water into a large jug and add 2 teaspoons of the treacle. Sprinkle the dried yeast on top and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to bubble up.
Meanwhile mix the brown and white flour and the salt in a large mixing bowl.
Add the yeast and treacle mixture to the flour and then add the rest of the water (the remaining 550ml). Mix really well until you have a smooth batter. I use my hand. It’s the easiest way to make sure it’s thoroughly mixed. It’s a really wet dough - don’t worry!
Pour or spoon half the batter into each of your loaf tins. Dip your fingers into some warm water and use them to push down the dough and smooth out the surface. Leave in a warm place to rise. (Myrtle suggests covering the tins with a tea towel but I never bother anymore. If I do, I tend to forget about them, the dough rises and sticks to the tea towel).
Preheat the oven to 230˚C.
When the bread dough has just reached the top of the tin, sprinkle with seeds (sesame, poppy, sunflower etc), push them down a wee bit to get them to stick and then put the loaves into the oven.
After 15 minutes turn down to 200˚C and bake for another 30 minutes.
After this, if you want, you can take the loaf out of the tin and put it back into the oven for a further 10 minutes for a crispier crust!
Try not to eat the whole loaf while still hot! I always make at least two loaves at the same time. It’s almost no more work than one and I put one in the freezer for another day.
