Brown Butter Soda Bread

I have been making this recipe for years and it is one of our favorites. It's very easy to make and I wanted to share it with you.
It has a different taste and texture from your traditional homemade breads so if you do try it, I'd love to hear how you like it! :)

The recipe comes from Epicurious - Bon Appetit - Feb.2006

Rosemary and black pepper make this bread anything but typical. Wedges are delicious with plenty of butter and your favorite preserves.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (1/2stick) unsalted butter

31/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (I used dried)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper plus additional for topping
13/4 cups buttermilk

1 egg white, beaten to blend

Directions:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375 F. Stir butter in heavy small saucepan over med. heat until melted and golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Stir flour, oats, sugar, rosemary, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 3/4 tsp. pepper in a large bowl to blend. Pour buttermilk and melted browned butter over flour mixture; stir with fork until flour mixture is moistened.

Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Knead gently until dough comes together, about 7 turns. Divide in half. Shape each half into a ball; flatten each into 6-inch round. Place rounds onto ungreased baking sheet, spacing 5" apart. Brush tops with beaten eggwhite. Sprinkle lightly with ground black pepper. Using a small, sharp knife cut 1/2-inch-deep X in the top of each dough round.

Bake breads until deep golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool breads on rack at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 2 loaves

Bakers Wisdom:
You will get the most tender soda bread by kneading the dough gently and briefly, just until it comes together, so the gluten is minimally developed.

Enjoy!

Anna ~