<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/SvhIJHW8IbI/AAAAAAAAACM/Un7wbiFelIw/s1600-h/irish+breakfast+and+pegs+002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/SvhIJHW8IbI/AAAAAAAAACM/Un7wbiFelIw/s320/irish+breakfast+and+pegs+002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402147074462196146" /></a><br />Last week's Thursday brunch was more practice for "Unprocessed".  Traditional Irish breakfast includes baked beans, brown bread, a fried egg, broiled tomatoes, and a several big, greasy sausages.  I lightened it up a little.  Baked beans included homemade ketchup -- recipe to come.  It's easier than you think!  Our egg was poached, and we eliminated the pork fat all together.  There's nothing I love more than lard encased in intestine (seriously), but it doesn't seem to fit into daily eating.  Brown bread was surprisingly easy.  I borrowed a recipe from Mark Bittman's blog, Bitten. <br /> <br />Margaret Hickey’s Irish Brown Bread <br />Yield 1 loaf<br /><br />Ingredients<br />3 cups extra coarse wholemeal flour<br />1 cup oat bran<br />3 tablespoons wheat germ<br />1/2 cup all-purpose flour<br />1 teaspoon salt<br />1 teaspoon baking soda<br />3 teaspoons baking powder<br />1 egg, beaten<br />2 cups milk<br /><br />Method<br />1. Combine first seven ingredients and fluff together with hands to mix in the baking soda and baking powder completely. <br />2. Add egg and milk and stir to combine until it has the consistency and appearance of oatmeal. <br />3. Spray and flour a 9” round baking pan. Pour in batter and score the top with a cross. (“You’re wishing the bread well as it goes into the oven,” says Margaret.) <br />4. Bake at 380 degrees for one hour. Cool on a rack completely before cutting. Can be kept out for a day or two, but otherwise needs to be refrigerated or frozen.<br /><br /><br />I took their suggestion and substituted buttermilk for the milk, giving it a slightly zippier feeling.  I also subbed out 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour and instead used ground flaxseed.  Flaxseed is high in fiber, omega-3s, and phytonutrients -- making it great for your digestive tract, skin, hair and nails.  Use it in baking recipes like this one or sprinkle it on oatmeal or yogurt.  I store mine in the freezer to extend the shelf life.  Even with the best of intentions, it's difficult to eat a 14 ounce bag before it would go rancid sitting on the counter.  Brown bread is the perfect treat when you are looking for a compact, efficient colon broom!<br /><br />Just in case you think we've lost our midwestern sensibilities, note the pint of Guinness -- requisite for breakfast.