Top O' The Morning...er, I Mean Evening to You!!!

Well, the original plan was to have a post up this morning to go with the festive and fun St. Patrick's day theme...but then, when we got up this morning, we got a call that Dear Hubby was flying back from his work trip early, as now, he has what the boys and I have had all week. Poor guy!
We are now all officially sick here in the Sunshine State.
What I had planned to share this morning, am now going to share with you tonight..a family recipe passed down to me from my paternal grandmother, who had gotten the recipe from her mother, who  got it from her mother...for some delicious homemade Irish Nut Bread!
This recipe is from my paternal grandmother, Grandma Murray.
She made this nut bread at the holidays, especially for Thanksgiving, Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, and Easter.
Our whole family looked forward to when she would make this bread for us.
The key with her recipe is that you cannot make it low fat or low sugar or it will not turn out right.
You have to bake it in two small loaf pans.
You have to use whole milk.
You have to add the sugar...
You are to use a pinch of salt, but her pinches were a little on the generous side of pinch...
You have to use nice, fresh eggs.
You have use walnuts...that is that.

When she was quite old and had to live in a nursing home, one of the things that she had with her at the nursing home were her recipe cards.
My grandma went through her cards and rated the recipes with her own coding system. 
By that point in her life, due to having several strokes, she could no longer care for or cook for herself, but she must have taken comfort in going through the recipes and coding them according to how she had liked them.
Grandma Murray put her highest level rating on this recipe card: VG for Very Good...
We agreed with her, that this is VG or Very Good.

Hope that your family will like it too!

Grandma Murray's Irish Nut Bread

Please Note: You are most welcome to share this recipe, but if you do, please give credit to my grandmother. 
She was a wonderful grandma and would probably be happy to see that others are enjoying her family's recipe...

Spread the following mixture into two small, greased loaf pans.
Do not try to use one loaf pan...it will not work properly. 

Beat eggs and milk together:
2 eggs and 2 cups (whole) milk

Sift:
pinch of salt (generous pinch)
4 cups of flour
4 teaspoons baking powder

Then, add in 1 cup sugar

Mix wet and dry ingredients gently and then, fold in 1 cup chopped walnuts.


Let mixture rise at least 30 minutes in pans. Set on counter to rise so that it rises at room temperature. Do not tap pans or they will not rise properly. 


Preheat oven while mixture is rising to 350 degrees F.


After the mixture has risen for 30 minutes, place pans in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour...check and see how it looks after 45 minutes and then, add a few minutes if you need to...

Let cool  for a bit in the pan.

When pretty cool, flip loaf out of pan and then, top with butter!


Butter, clotted cream, and jam all taste delicious on this bread, but my grandmother preferred hers with butter.

Well, happy baking!

 Hope that you and your family will enjoy this delicious homemade Irish treat! 

My paternal grandmother's family were originally from County Cork, Ireland, so that is where this recipe originated. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!