Irish soda brown bread

Happy belated St. Patrick's Day, everyone! Although I'm not Irish I celebrated St. Paddy's day yesterday by cooking a whole big Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage and soda bread and then we didn't eat it because we ended up going to a friend's house and eat macaroni and cheese instead. I know, I know. But it was delicious macaroni and cheese —the home made kind— and to feel a little more Irish we had shots of Jameson. So, there. And the big Irish meal will still be good tonight, if not better. For some reason corned beef and cabbage sounds like the type of meal that is even better the next day, doesn't it?

Well, I'll let you know about that tomorrow. In the mean time, I can tell you the soda bread was really good —I had a slice this morning with my coffee, as I was clumsily trying to remember what the hell was I thinking when I said yes to the shots of Jameson. I usually don't drink whisky. And this morning I remembered why. I had one of those nice metallic headaches that just don't go away. Not even with coffee and ibuprofen. Not even with delicious toasted homemade soda bread.

You live, you learn. Next year I'll stay away from the whisky. But I'll still make the bread which thanks to Cooking Light magazine is not only great but also good for you.

BROWN SODA BREAD

From Cooking Light

• Cooking spray
• 11.25  ounces  whole-wheat flour (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 2.25  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2  cup  steel-cut oats (such as McCann's)
• 2  tablespoons  brown sugar
• 1  tablespoon  wheat germ
• 1  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 2  cups  low-fat buttermilk
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325°.

Coat a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper, and coat with cooking spray.

Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flours and next 6 ingredients (through salt). Combine buttermilk and egg; add to flour mixture. Stir just until combined.

Spoon the mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Invert bread onto a wire rack; cool completely. Remove parchment; slice bread into 12 slices.