I’m not a huge fan of baking and it tends to be for special occasions only but homemade wholegrain soda bread is a real treat well worth the time. So try it!
There’s something lovely about getting your hands stuck in. This soda bread is amazing still warm dripping with butter and jam or it goes well with a nice solid cheddar and it freezes well for a good couple of months.
This recipe makes 1 big loaf or 2 smaller ones or 16 rolls
500g wholegrain brown flour (this can be a little tricky to find – you can try bigger supermarkets or local health food shops)
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
About 425ml of buttermilk or plain low-fat natural yoghurt, or skimmed milk (if using milk you’ll only need about 350mls)
- Preheat oven to 230°C/450°F/gas mark 8
- Stir all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk, yoghurt or milk
- And the fun part – using a one hand circular motion, mix together to form a dough which is softish without being too wet or too sticky and add more milk or flour as necessary. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead just enough to tidy the dough into a neat ball.
- For a loaf, pat the dough into a 4cm deep and cut a deep cross on the surface. Bake on a floured baking tray for 15 mins and then reduce to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for a further 20 mins or so.
- For the rolls, cut the dough into 16 pieces and bake for about 20 mins at the higher temperature.
- Test if it’s cooked by tapping the bottom of the bread. If it sounds hollow then it’s ready.
Give it a try and let me know how you get on!
Adapted from Antony Worrall Thompson’s GI Diet