In my latest cookbook, Delicious Ireland: Forty Years of Fabulous Food, I wrote about experiencing my first Irish breakfast: “We all treasured Ireland for reasons of our own, but none of us thought much about the food then — except breakfast, perhaps, when we would sit down with total strangers and be fussed over about how we wanted our eggs cooked and whether we wanted a bit of porridge to start or did we need more toast and jam.”
Not a pancake in sight. No French toast. No granola. No eggs Benedict, and certainly no vegetarian options such as Grilled Flatbread, Labneh, and Smashed Avocado or Butterbean and Poached Eggs with Walnut Dukkah, offerings that now appear on many menus. I’ve been traveling to Ireland nearly twice a year since 1984 and can attest to the fact that times have definitely changed! Over the course of forty years, food fairs, festivals, and farmers markets have blossomed; gourmet food shops have flourished; artisan cheesemakers have multiplied; and breakfast offerings are more exciting than ever.
But guess what? The “full Irish” still tops most menus (some hotels offer a “mini” version for smaller appetites), along with a steaming bowl of porridge (with or without a drizzle of Irish whiskey), like one I enjoyed recently at The Landsdowne Kenmare (landsdownekenmare.com) accompanied by this delicious brown bread.
HEIR ISLAND BROWN BREAD
Makes 1 Loaf
Heir Island, located off the coast of West Cork (a 4-minute ferry ride from Cunnamore Pier), is home to Island Cottage, the smallest cookery school in the country and the source of this recipe. It’s a standout in the Landsdowne’s Breadbasket, which also includes its sourdough bread.
3 cups extra coarse wheat flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Butter and jam, for serving
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9-inch loaf pan with no-stick cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and oil.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture. With a wooden spoon, mix well. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.
4. Bake the bread for about 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted the center comes out almost clean. Remove the pan from the oven; invert the bread onto a wire rack. Return the bread to the oven; bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into slices. Serve slices spread with butter and jam, if you wish.
To order a signed copy of Delicious Ireland, visit irishcook.com
