October 25 12

I made my own bread this week.

It’s okay. I have no idea who I am anymore either. 

An Irish highlight for me was waking up each morning on our trip and no matter where we had slept the night before—in a bed & breakfast in Cork, looking out at Kinsale harbor, in a lovely village full of thatched roofs, in a farmhouse off the beaten path, in a Dublin hotel—the morning started out the same: Coffee. Strong. No drip. Homemade brown bread. Butter.

There’s comfort in consistency.

Delicious, delicious consistency.

Irish Brown Bread

We spent a day, Friday, I believe, at a cookery school in county Cork called Ballymaloe. Much like every day in Ireland, it was a life-changing experience. After having lunch with the students and amazing faculty at the school, eating the food they had spent all morning preparing, we were given a tour of the gardens.

Gardens at Ballymaloe, County Cork, Ireland

Gardens at Ballymaloe, County Cork, Ireland

And then we got to sit in on a cookery demonstration class and lecture; we got to watch the food being prepared for the next day’s lessons.

Cookery Classes at Ballymaloe, County Cork, Ireland

Traditional Irish meats and potatoes and sauces and soups and breads and vegetables, complete with tips and tricks and tales.

I walked away with a heart full of inspiration.

And with a recipe for Irish brown bread. 

And a challenge to perfect this little piece of Irish heaven in my own Toronto nosebleeds kitchen.

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  1. Please tell me you’ll share the recipe!!

    Comment by Darcey on October 25, 2012
  2. Haha. This is why I was not meant to write about food. I will definitely share the recipe. I just need to tweak one of two things, since we can’t really get proper wholemeal flour on this side of the Atlantic 🙂

    Comment by ali on October 25, 2012
  3. Sounds (and looks) delicious. And I’m going to go with the previous commenter and ask you to share the recipe. 🙂

    Comment by Mrs. Wilson on October 25, 2012
  4. Please keep writing more about your trip! I want all the details and I don’t know the next time I’ll see you in person!

    Comment by Kristabella on October 25, 2012
  5. I’m doing it slowly…I don’t want to scare people away!

    Comment by ali on October 25, 2012
  6. Do you need taste testers to ensure your consistency? *raises hand*

    Comment by Sharon on October 25, 2012
  7. Love hearing about your experiences here in Ireland. I’d love to go down to Balymaloe sometime. Delighted you love the brown bread. Dying to hear all the food you loved/hated. Best wishes.

    Comment by J from Ireland on October 26, 2012
  8. I have so many things to discuss with you!!!

    things I could never try not matter what: tripe. black and white pudding.

    everything else was divine 🙂

    Comment by ali on October 26, 2012
  9. Oh god I could NEVER try tripe myself, cows stomach lining…enough said. Black pudding, disgusting but I am quite partial to a bit of white pudding with a full Irish breakfast. Where you surprised by the swearing or the small roads? I have never been to Canada but have been to Florida so I wonder is Canadian bread as sweet as American bread? Love love love this.

    Comment by J from Ireland on October 27, 2012
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