Outdoor Cooking & Charcoal Oven Recipes / Bake

Irish brown bread baked in the Charlie Oven

Cooked in the Charlie Charcoal Oven

Irish Brown Bread

No kneading, a nutty wholemeal crumb and a little honey. This Irish brown bread bakes in Charlie with a crisp crust and soft middle. Slice it thick, add butter and jam, and put the kettle on.

Tara QuickCo-founder, Charlie Oven
Bake
Prep5 minutes
Cook50 minutes plus cooling
Serves4 to 6
DifficultyEasy
Oven temperature180°C (355°F)
RackLoaf tin on the third rack down from the top
CharcoalHalf a football of good quality lumpwood charcoal

Charlie Oven — https://charlieoven.com/blogs/charcoal-recipes/irish-brown-bread

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Ingredients

1 loaf

For the bread

Optional extras

For the topping (optional)

Equipment

Everything used in this recipe. Already have Charlie? Add the accessories in one go.

  • Charlie Charcoal Oven£5,950.00Choose your oven
  • Stag British Premium Lumpwood Charcoal£96.50
  • Charlie Oven Cooking Rack£280.00
Stag British Premium Lumpwood Charcoal and Charlie Oven Cooking Rack £376.50 together

Method

Light Charlie

  1. Light Charlie

    Light half a football of good-quality lumpwood charcoal in Charlie and bring the oven to 180°C (355°F) with the door closed. Set a rack in the third position from the top. Wait until the temperature has settled and is holding steady at 180°C (355°F) before the bread goes in.
    Why this mattersBrown bread has no yeast. It rises from the baking powder alone, so it needs a steady, even heat from the start. A stable oven gives an even rise and a loaf that bakes through to the middle without the crust burning.

Mix

  1. Mix the dry ingredients

    Put the plain flour, wholemeal flour, wheat bran flakes, wheatgerm, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and mix well. If you are adding nuts, seeds or dried fruit, stir them in now.

  2. Add the milk and honey

    Whisk the milk and honey together, then pour them into the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly until there are no dry spots of flour left. The batter will be wet, a bit like a cake batter.
    Why this mattersThe baking powder starts working as soon as it meets the milk. Mix well so there are no pockets of dry flour, then get the batter into the tin and into Charlie without delay.

Bake

  1. Fill the tin

    Line a rectangular loaf tin with baking parchment and pour in the batter. Level the top, then cut a line down the middle with a knife. Scatter over your choice of seeds, or leave it bare.

  2. Bake

    Put the tin on the rack in the third position from the top, close the door and bake at 180°C (355°F) for 45 to 50 minutes.
    50 min timer

  3. Check it is baked

    Push a skewer into the middle of the loaf. It should come out completely clean. If there is any wet batter on it, bake for a little longer and test again.

Cool

  1. Cool completely

    Lift the loaf out of the tin and leave it to cool completely before slicing.
    Why this mattersIt is tempting to eat it while hot, but the crumb is still setting as it cools. Cut too early and it will be heavy and gummy. It is worth the wait.

Tips

This is a no-knead dough: simply mix and bake, no kneading required. The batter will look quite wet like a cake batter; this is completely normal. Do not slice while hot, as cooling fully gives a much better crumb. Customise with your favourite nut, seed, and dried fruit combinations such as hazelnuts and dried figs or sultanas and cranberries.

More recipes

The cook

Tara Quick

Co-founder, Charlie Oven

Tara Quick is co-founder of Charlie Oven, a lifelong foodie who loves to cook and bring people together around the table. Her approach is simple: start with great ingredients, let the oven do the hard work and cook with love. Food made with love just tastes better.

More recipes by Tara Quick

Frequently asked questions

  • Do I need to knead Irish brown bread?

    No. This is a no-knead bread. Mix the ingredients well, pour the batter into the tin and bake it straight away.

  • Why is the batter so wet?

    That is how it should be. The batter is closer to a cake batter than a bread dough, and the wholemeal flour and bran absorb the milk as it bakes.

  • Can I leave out the wheat bran and wheatgerm?

    Yes. Both are optional. They add extra texture and a nuttier flavour, but the bread still works well with just the plain and wholemeal flours.

  • Which rack should I use in Charlie?

    Use the third rack position from the top. Upper racks are gentler and lower racks are hotter and more direct, so this position lets the loaf bake through evenly without the base catching.

  • Can I bake this in a Cheeky Charlie?

    Yes, as long as your loaf tin fits comfortably. Bring the oven to a steady 180°C (355°F) and bake the loaf around the middle of the oven.