Peggy O'Donnell's Irish brown bread

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

Crisco for greasing pan

3 cups Ceresota unbleached flour

1 1/2 cups Odlums coarse whole meal flour (see related story)

Good pinch of salt (about 1 teaspoon)

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 stick butter, melted

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups Dean's butter-milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch round baking pan or a 9-inch cast iron skillet generously with Crisco. Sprinkle with flour; shake off excess.

Mix the dry ingredients together well.

Add the melted butter to the buttermilk. Don't worry if small curds form.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Form your fingers into a trowel or claw shape and mix the dough gently, only until it is moist and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead very gently, forming the dough into a ball or loaf shape. This should take 90 seconds or less. Do not overhandle. If the dough sticks to your hands, add a little flour. If it seems a bit dry, add a little buttermilk. It should feel pillowy and spongy.

Place in the pan and use your knuckles to gently press down until all the dough is the same level and fills the entire pan.

Use a knife to slice a cross on the top that stretches from one end of the pan to the other. Dot the top with one bit of butter in each corner of the cross and in the center.

Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour. (Keep an eye on the oven; if you're using a cast iron pan, it will bake faster.) The bread should be golden brown on top. If a cake tester comes out clean, it's ready.

Leave in the pan for a few minutes, then turn out. Tap the bottom. If it sounds hollow, it's done. If it sounds heavy, it might still be wet inside and will need a few more minutes in the oven.

Wrap the loaf first in a clean dish towel and then in newspaper. This keeps the steam in and the bread moist. Keep wrapped until cool. Store in a biscuit or cookie tin.

Nutrition facts per serving: 244 calories, 9 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 22 mg cholesterol, 35 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 354 mg sodium, 1 g fiber