We have some very good food producers in Co Louth so when, in the space of a few days, I came across organic wholemeal which is made on Dunany Farm for sale in Strandfield Flower Market and buttermilk in Aldi, I decided that I just had to make brown bread.
Of course, it was so long since I had made real brown bread as opposed to taking the lazy option of using a ready-made mix, that I had to hunt for a recipe.
There is a nice one for brown bread with treacle and Guinness in the beautiful Year in Avoca cookery book, but I was looking for a basic soda bread recipe.
A hunt through my collection of cookery books unearthed 'The Food Advisors' Cook Book' produced some years ago by Quinnsworth (now Tesco) which was just what I wanted.
With dinner cooking in the oven, I made the bread, taking some photos with my new to me macro lens.
 |
What you need:
340g/12oz wholewheat flour
110g/4oz white flour
1 teaspoon bread soda
A little salt
500ml/1/2pint buttermilk
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl
Add buttermilk until mixture is moist and firm.
Knead on a floured board and put mixture
into greased baking tin.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes,
reducing temperature to 180 after 30 minutes
Unfortunately daylight had faded by the time the bread came out of the oven so I'm not too happy with that shot but I'm not at all sure if the loaf will last intact until tomorrow as it could be on the menu for supper with some cheese.
I can bake anything in the whole wide world and make it work. But my soda breads are always very hit and miss. Either to wet or just plain undercooked. Feck it, I thought being Irish we'd be naturally inclined to be excellent soda bread makers. I hope you have better luck than me!!!!
ReplyDeleteI think the oven was too hot - the crust was really hard. Will try with a slightly lower temperature next time.
ReplyDeletealways my favourite - and loved by my kids. My Mum bakes amazing soda bread. My Granny taught her the family Keady recipe.
ReplyDeleteKeady recipe? From Co Armagh - why that's just across the Border.
ReplyDelete