St. Brigid's Oat Bread

by Sheila Connolly (or maybe Síle ní Conghaile for this week)

Ah, and who would this St. Brigid be? Only the female patron saint of Ireland. Early on, she was a Celtic goddess of fertility, and over time she came to be associated with the beginning of spring, which falls halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. That’s when the spring lambs are being born, you’re readying your fields for planting, and you’re doing your spring cleaning (in Ireland, not Massachusetts!). Her feast day, also known as Imbolc, falls on February 1^st.

My publisher wisely chose to issue the books in my County Cork series in the first week in February. May I have your blessing, St. Brigid?

I’ve read that chewy oatcakes are often given to children on St. Brigid’s Day (to strengthen their jaws). Having heard that, I went hunting for a recipe. I found two—that bore no resemblance to each other, other than the basic ingredients. They differed in cooking temperature, proportions of ingredients, and how they were shaped. So much for tradition. I improvised.

For mysterious reasons I was out of regular oatmeal, but I had a full can of Irish steel-cut oats, and I figured they would meet the “chewy” requirement. One recipe suggested soaking the oats in buttermilk overnight. I figured a few hours would do it, so I put the oats and the buttermilk together and let them sit.

Anyway, here’s the basic recipe, more or less:

3/4 cup steelcut oats (Irish, of course)

3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk

The oats

The soaked oats

Mix these together and set them aside for several hours or even overnight (add the extra buttermilk if all the liquid has been absorbed quickly).

The dry ingredients

3/4 cup flour

1 Tblsp sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3 Tblsp butter, in small pieces

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a baking sheet.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and mix.

Add the butter bits and cut in until the mixture is crumbly (okay, I used my hands).

Add the oat/milk mixture and mix.

Beat the egg and add that, and mix again with a fork until the dough holds together. Form a ball and transfer it to a floured surface. Warning: this will be sticky, so feel free to add flour. Knead 20-25 times.

Pat the dough into an 8" round and transfer to the baking sheet. Score a deep cross in the top (do not cut through).

Ready to bake

Bake 23-28 minutes until brown, and a tester comes out clean. Break into quarters to serve.

I was happily surprised by the results. The bread was lighter in texture than I expected, and still had a bit of crunch from the oats. Usually the bread is served with butter and jam (I’m addicted to Irish black currant jam, which is hard to find around here), but it could also go well with soup.

This bread should be eaten quickly--it's best fresh.

I hope I’ve done St. Brigid proud. Brid agus Muire dhuit! And bless this book!

An Early Wake, third of the County Cork Mysteries, coming February 3rd.

Sure, and it's time for another trip to Ireland, isn't it?

If you're looking to order it, you'll find it here:

Amazon (print)

Amazon (Kindle)

Barnes & Noble