Brown bread experiment #3 had a greater purpose in its baked life than the previous two experiments.  This brown bread was destined to be part of a meal with both an Irish gal and a British transplant.  The pressure was on.

The previous breads left me satisfied but there was something lacking in their longevity.  I love toasted day-old brown bread, but the bread lost all its moisture two days after baking and made toasting a necessity.  I needed some sort of preservative.

When I was working a bakery during college we made simple, all-natural breads with the bare minimum ingredients.  Unless we were making a 8-grain or sweet bread, there were only five elements: flour, water, yeast, salt and honey.

The first four ingredients constitute the basis of any bread.  Honey, however, serves as a natural preservative and adds a touch of sweetness.  I figured that honey would give my brown bread the life span it needed and add a lovely flavor to the final product. 

As it turns out, the honey not only gave the bread a longer life but also contributed to a slightly darker color.  Experiment #3 was the perfect compliment to our dinner of Toad in the Hole, colcannon and gravy.  My Irish addition to a very English dinner even received a satisfied nod of approval from our British host.

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 1/2 cup wheat bran
• 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill 10-Grain cereal
• 3 tablespoons wheat germ
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 2 cups butter milk
• 1/4 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 380-degrees.  Mix dry ingredients to incorporate.

2. Beat the egg with the milk and honey.  Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.  The batter should look like a thick oatmeal.

3. Spray a 9-inch backing and spoon in batter.  Shape the loaf and sprinkle with the 10-grain. 

4.  Score the loaf with and “X” and bake for about one hour.  Rotate pan halfway through for even baking.