Plain Brown Loaf

Several months ago I discovered that the bread I had been buying as "whole wheat bread" was not what it appeared to be. After wheat flour, its next primary ingredient was soy flour!

I cannot eat soy, since it is incompatible with the thyroid medicine that I take. It explained why I had not been feeling well.

I opened the Safeway online website and began to examine labels. Too much soy. Not good.

Time to begin baking again. I have a wonderful beer-batter bread recipe, but beer has yeast, which in turn is on the list of things that may cause one to break out in hives, which has been a problem for several years. I have been trying to devise a diet that would lessen the occurrence of hives.

Soda bread seemed appropriate. St. Patrick's Day was approaching so that made it even more timely to make soda bread. I found a nice, tasty Irish Soda bread with raisins and made it several times. This most certainly was not what my ancestors made before they immigrated, though and I really wanted a whole wheat loaf.

 Finally, I found this recipe, http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/irish-brown-bread-10000000522965/"

 So yummy!  Highest recommendation to all of you who bake.  I have also made it with 1 1/4 c buttermilk substituted for the yogurt.  (And sweet milk soured with vinegar, I believe it would take one tablespoon, could be substituted for the buttermilk.)

It is becoming my house bread.  I am filled with gratitude for my plain brown loaf, my ancestors who surely made something similar and the Internet for making the recipe available.  It is a good, even wondrous time to be alive and I am glad.

St Patrick's Day

A Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone who wanders by. There is no green beer here, but there is Irish Soda bread from Safeway. I also have two (at least) mixes of a brand called Garvey's Irish Soda Bread--and one of the same vendor for Irish Brown Bread. Sounds Irish enough so that the product should be authentic. We shall see.

Shopping on the Internet told me that Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour both had Irish Soda Bread mixes. Sticky Fingers has wonderful mixes in delightful new packaging and a quick check says yes they have Irish Soda Bread. Iveta Gourmet, another one of my favorite sources for yummy things that have way more calories than I need or can burn, doesn't. They have so many other scrumptious goodies....(Hey, I wonder how many calories does it take to roll up and down my ramp and how many times a day would I need to do it to justify/use just one scone.) Plug of the day over.

Last week I received my first ever order of herbs from Rose Mountain Herbs and I will be reactivating an old part of an old small business that I had in the 80's and that I absolutely loved. Sachets will soon appear on my Etsy shop and I am happy and excited.

While I have been posting this KDFC has been playing Irish music. Alas they do not play the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. I should get more organized and dig out the tapes and see if the tape recorder still works and, and ....

A tiny bit more work on my Easter designs on my cafepress site, a poke my nose out the front door to admire the daffodils and calla lilies that are blooming (and the oxalis, shamrocks as well) and an episode of NCIS will complete my day.

Happy St Patrick's Day. May all your days be blessed. I am grateful for my Irish heritage.