Good Brown Bread

A quick, no-rise loaf of hearty brown bread, from 1990 Gourmet Magazine recipe:

I like yeastless breads, because I lack the patience and foresight required for baking risen bread.  I feel like I always want fresh-baked bread at about 4:37 in the afternoon, when it's absolutely too late to start something that needs kneading and hours to rise.  And if I happen to think of my craving the next morning, when there WOULD be time for all that, I simply can't be bothered.

And then I go to the bakery instead and walk out with about four different breads, only one of which I actually wanted.

And a croissant.

So yeastless breads are a good lifestyle choice for me.

This one has molasses and brown sugar, raisins and wheat germ, and a hearty dose of buttermilk to add moisture.  Could it please combine a few more of my favorite things?  Like cheese?  Maybe we could get some cheese in there?  Or chocolate?  OR PEANUT BUTTER?

Mara and I cut slices when it was still hot from the oven; the little pat of butter we put on each slice melted immediately, making that wonderful bright/salty/buttery marriage with the dark/sugary/heavy bread.

Good Brown Bread
1.5 cups wheat germ
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1.5 tsp. baking soda
.25 cup packed (dark) brown sugar
2 cups buttermilk
.5 cup dark molasses
.5 cup raisins

Combine wheat germ, wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and brown sugar in a big bowl.  Combine the buttermilk and molasses, then add to dry ingredients.  Stir in the raisins last, and bake in a lightly greased loaf pan at 350 for one hour.