Dark Brown bread

maryishairy

Hi All,

Does anybody know what the dark brown bread one often gets in pubs or restaurants with soup is called? It's alot darker and is more moist than soda bread and often contains 'tinges' of green, it sometimes contains nuts or seeds (e.g. sunflower seeds). It's definitely my favourite type of brown bread. I can't find a name or a recipe for it anywhere.

Can anybody stop my anguish with a name for it or even better still a recipe for it?

Thanks much.

huskerdu

I know the bread you mean and it is delicious.

I have never made it, but the recipe below seems to be close.

http://www.odlums.ie/index.php?page=guinness-brown-bread

Magic Monkey

I've made that Odlums recipe a few times, it's very good. There's another good recipe for Guinness and Walnut bread if you search the Rte website, it's from Richie Wilson of the Morrison Hotel.

But the bread shouldn't have any tinges of green; that's usually a sign that too much baking powder was added.

the beer revolu

Magic Monkey wrote: »

But the bread shouldn't have any tinges of green; that's usually a sign that too much baking powder was added.

Or it could be pumpkin seeds.

Magic Monkey

The excess baking powder issue will discolour the crumb, if there were seeds in it their cross-section would be visible, as well as slight discolouration surrounding the seed. I only mention it as a possibility, as more often than not chemical leaveners are measured by volume (Tbsp, tsp) as opposed to by weight, given their relatively small quantities to the other ingredients in a large batch. So it is easy to add an incorrect amount. I mean, 1 gram is 1 gram, but tablespoons can be scant, level and heaped :-)

maryishairy

Magic Monkey wrote: »

The excess baking powder issue will discolour the crumb, if there were seeds in it their cross-section would be visible, as well as slight discolouration surrounding the seed. I only mention it as a possibility, as more often than not chemical leaveners are measured by volume (Tbsp, tsp) as opposed to by weight, given their relatively small quantities to the other ingredients in a large batch. So it is easy to add an incorrect amount. I mean, 1 gram is 1 gram, but tablespoons can be scant, level and heaped :-)

While excess baking powder would definitely be a possibility in a home made loaf, the fact that the bread is served in restaurants (and therefore probably professionally baked), I think that the green tinge in the bread is probably Zucchini or some other herb.

maryishairy

huskerdu wrote: »

I know the bread you mean and it is delicious.

I have never made it, but the recipe below seems to be close.

http://www.odlums.ie/index.php?page=guinness-brown-bread

Thanks huskerdu. I'd be reluctant to put Guinness into a brown bread though....would it not be overpowering? Does Treacle/molasses have much of an impact on the colour/ texture or taste of a brown bread loaf?

heathcliff

Hi,

I was looking for a recipe for McCambridge Bread that you get in supermarkets a while back and got a recipe off a fellow boards member. This bread also has a green tinge in it, having never made bread before I made a lot of disasters but kept at it and now only eat my own bread, the recipe that I got was close but did not have the green tinge, but I found out it was wheat germ...... There is two brands that I have found in supermarkets, one made by odlums and the other is Kretschmer( they do two kinds, one plain and the other is with brown sugar and honey) This one is my favourite but can only be got in Petites Supermarket and is more expensive than odlums. If you want recipe I will pm you it, if you are not having luck else where.

Faith

heathcliff wrote: »

Hi,

I was looking for a recipe for McCambridge Bread that you get in supermarkets a while back and got a recipe off a fellow boards member.

Can I have that recipe please?

maryishairy

heathcliff wrote: »

Hi,

I was looking for a recipe for McCambridge Bread that you get in supermarkets a while back and got a recipe off a fellow boards member. If you want recipe I will pm you it, if you are not having luck else where.

Thanks heathcliff....that would be great!:)

heathcliff

Here is the recipe for the bread

Ingredients
4oz plain four
1 heaped teaspoon of breadsoda(bicarbonate of soda)
1 level teaspoon of salt
12oz of wholemeal flour (I use coarse)
2oz wheat germ
1oz of margarine
300ml of natural yoghurt
1 egg
fresh milk (see method)

Oven Temp I was given was 220C/425F or gas mark 7. However this was too high for my oven(burnt on outside not cooked in middle) so I put mine in at 170C on the third shelf (but do adjust to your own oven)for 35-40 minutes.

Method
Preheat the oven.
1. Lightly grease your loaf tin with margarine and dust out with the wheat flour.
2. Sieve the plain flour, breadsoda and salt into a bowl.
3. Add the wholemeal flour, and wheat germ. Mix thoroughly, lifting the flour high to get the air in. Rub in the margarine and repeat the lifting of the flour.
4. Beat the egg into the yoghurt and add enough milk to bring it up to 400ml.
5. Make a well in the centre of dry ingredients and pour in the yoghurt mixture and mix quickly with a fork.
6. Place the dough into the preheated oven until well risen and golden brown.
7. Leave to cool in tin for 5 to 10 minutes depending on how you like your crust. The longer you leave it in the tin the softer it will be.

heathcliff

Faith wrote: »

Can I have that recipe please?

I have tried to send the recipe through a message, I think it failed???? any how here it is posted up for you and "Maryishairy"..

Don't give up on the first go if it fails, I think I got it around the tenth...lol
Good Luck and let us know how you get on.... Once you get it right you will never go back to bought again....

bonkey

Here's my dad's recipe.

3 things about it...

1) You want really, really dark molasses....which you might need to go to a helthfood store for. A lot of places sell something much thinner and lighter, which just won't do the job.

2) You can replace some of the buttermilk with stout (Murphy's works well).

3) Those quantities are big....there's over 3lbs of flour/grain, and 3 pints of liquid. Scale down as appropriate.