Brown Bread, Brown Bread, When Can I Eat?

Number 3 on my New Year's resolution list is to try a new recipe every month, and thanks to your input, I now have several new recipes to try and lots of groceries to buy.

For the month of January, I made Brown Bread:

Sent to me by my bf's mom, Brown Bread is a traditional dark bread that originated in Ireland during the famine (according to Wikipedia). My bf's mom is a fantastic chef, so I was pretty intimidated to try out a recipe from her family. Luckily, she has a keen sense of mercy and sent me an easy one:

Aunt Floss's Brown Bread (passed down from her grandmother's sister, Flossie Egan)

1/2 C. dark brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 C. whole wheat flour*
1 C. white flour
1/2 C. molasses
2 C. buttermilk**
1 beaten egg
1 handful of raisins (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients, adding the beaten egg last. Don't stir too much.

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Marks a large loaf, or two small loaves.

That's right--molasses. If you don't know where to find it, it'll be in the baking aisle or possibly near the pancake syrup.

With my recipe open, I mixed all the ingredients in my new blue mixing bowl that Santa bought me for Christmas and then hid in her closet and didn't give me until a few weeks later.

This is when I remembered that I was supposed to be taking pictures of my cooking process.

Thanks, Santa!

By this time, Hudson had figured out the molasses smells pretty great, so he had come over to investigate. There may or may not have been a few dog hairs in the dough. Sorry'boutthaat.

Once the dough was mixed and poured into the loaf pans, I slid them into the oven to cook.

In which the ham hangs out with the bread.

 I finished cooking the rest of dinner while the bread was baking, and it started to smell GOOD in the house!

Served on my Michigan bamboo board since that where my bf's family lives!

I served the bread as a side to a ham dinner along with garlic green beans and honey-glazed carrots. It was a big hit! Alternatively, serve during breakfast slathered in some cream cheese, and you are good to go!

So there you have it! January's recipe is done!

What kinds of bread recipes have you made from scratch? What should I make next?

*Note to eaters: If you are gluten free (as I am), please proceed with caution with this bread. It's super delicious, but it is made with whole wheat flour, and even after three bites, I could feel it in my tummy :(

**You'll have extra buttermilk. I recommend making this to use it up. You'll thank me later.