Irish Beer Bread

From beatrice ojakangas’ book, great holiday baking book. This is a quick bread that’s great for snaking or for serving with a meal. The bread is delicious served warm from the oven or served at room temperature. St. Patrick’s day, march 17th, is named after st. Patrick, the british-born monk who is credited with driving the snakes out of ireland. Patrick converted the irish to christianity and is said to have used the green shamrock (which means “little clover” in gaelic) as a visual aid to illustrate the doctrine of the trinity, three holy entities in one. As a result, the shamrock and the color green have become symbols of st. Patrick’s day.

Steps

Preheat oven to 375f.

Prepare two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans by lightly greasing.

In large bowl , combine the flours , baking powder , baking soda , and salt.

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until completely blended inches mix in the egg and beer all at once until a stiff dough is formed.

If mixing by hand , turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth , 1 to 2 minutes.

Divide the dough in half.

Shape each into a round loaf.

Place each loaf into a prepared pan.

Press down to flatten until each is about 7 inches in diameter.

Using a sharp knife , slash a deep cross in the top of each loaf , making the cuts inch deep and about 5 inches long.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean and dry.

Ingredients

whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, unsalted butter, egg, beer