Recipe: tasty soda bread in a flash...

If, like me, you can be a little impatient with the whole bread-making process, then you'll love this super-quick, super-tasty recipe as much as I did. It's pretty nutritious too.

Gather:

450g wholemeal flour

225g fine (pinhead) oatmeal

65g  plain white flour

65g  wheatgerm (+ extra for dusting the tin and loaf top)

65g  wheat bran

2.5 tsp bicarb

2 tsp soft brown sugar

1 litre buttermilk

2 tsp sesame seeds for topping the loaf

Create:

1. Heat the oven to 230C  /  210C [fan]  /  Gas 8
2. Grease 2 x 900g loaf tins and dust with some wheatgerm
3. In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients together well
4. Add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients and mix well to form a wet dough
5. Split the dough between the two tins, smooth the tops, slash with a floured knife, sprinkle with the sesame seeds
6. Bake the loaves for 10 mins at the above temp then lower to: 130C  /  110 [fan]  /  gas 1 - and bake for 1 hour
7. Skewer test the loaves to see if ready or knock on bottom for a hollow sound to indicate cooked
8. Allow to cool in tin for 10 mins then turn out on a wire rack and resist the temptation to try it straight away - at least until its cool enough to slice!

Devour: 

Enjoy with lashings of your favourite toppings - sweet or savoury goes equally as well!

Eat within 2 days and freeze if you have any left over - but you won't.

Notes:

As you can see from the pic mine came out a bit anemic - but I'm getting used to a new oven. I think in future I would not drop the temp so low for the last hour and maybe give it less time.

Buttermilk is generally sold in 284ml tubs and so buying 4 meant that I had 136ml (approx) spare. If you have the time and the inclination you could up the proportion of the dry ingredients pro-rata so that all of it got used. If I ever get round to it i will re-post!

Enjoy!

Chantal xx

p.s.

I made this before trying to live vegan - so I shall try it with soya yoghurt instead - if you have any suggestions for a different method then please get in touch - I'd love to hear from you!