Irish Brown Bread Honey Butter (Print)

A rustic wholemeal loaf with a touch of sweetness, served alongside smooth honey butter.

# Ingredients:

→ Brown Bread

01 - 2 cups whole wheat flour
02 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1 teaspoon salt
05 - 2 tablespoons rolled oats, plus extra for topping
06 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar
07 - 2 cups buttermilk

→ Honey Butter

08 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
09 - 2 tablespoons honey
10 - Pinch of salt

# Instructions:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease a loaf pan.
02 - In a large bowl, combine whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, rolled oats, and brown sugar. Mix until evenly distributed.
03 - Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in buttermilk. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until a soft, shaggy dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
04 - Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf approximately 2 inches thick. Place on prepared baking sheet or in loaf pan.
05 - Using a sharp knife, cut a deep cross on the top of the loaf. Sprinkle with additional oats if desired.
06 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Transfer to a wire cooling rack.
07 - In a small bowl, beat softened butter with honey and a pinch of salt until smooth and creamy.
08 - Slice cooled bread and serve with generous portions of honey butter.

# Pro Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour, no yeast drama or rising time to fuss with.
  • The honey butter transforms ordinary bread into something worth waking up for.
  • One loaf fills your kitchen with a fragrance that makes everyone ask what you're baking.
02 -
  • Don't overmix the dough once the buttermilk is added—your instinct will be to keep stirring until it's smooth, but that develops gluten and makes the bread tough and dense in the wrong way.
  • The cross cut into the top is not just decoration; it allows steam to escape and the bread to rise upward rather than spread outward.
03 -
  • Make the honey butter ahead and keep it at room temperature so it spreads easily; cold butter tears warm bread apart and defeats the whole purpose.
  • If your bread starts browning too quickly on top, loosely tent it with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking to let the inside finish without the crust hardening too much.
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