SHOW ME THE BREAD

I make bread about five times a week,  and really like to ring the changes - as with all my cooking and baking I wouldn't be the most loyal of customers!  I think it would be boring beyond belief to have to make (never mind eat) the same bread day in day out.

Last week I even made two different breads on the same day - my old reliable brown soda (which I play around with quite a bit) and a bread recipe that I found in a newspaper years ago (I can't remember where, so apologies for not giving credit, although I have probably changed it beyond recognition by this stage!)

My friend and blog critic (!) K. has requested (instructed) that I give a recipe for an easy, everyday, no fuss, have everything in the cupboard, did I say easy soda bread, and I'm good like that - I do what I'm told!!!

The other bread is my husband's current favourite (he's pretty fickle too - bread wise only!) but I know why, this bread has a nice soft texture, but still retains an interesting mixture of tastes - I love it with butter and home made raspberry jam (freezer full of raspberries no longer an issue!!)

There are a few guidelines that help when you start making soda bread, hopefully they will ensure that you have success from day one :

Work your dough as little as possible
Be stingy (mean) with your bread soda (bicarbonate of soda) you really don't want that soapy taste you get from too much - if a recipe calls for a tsp, make sure it is level not heaped.
Sunflower seeds turn dark green when combined with bread soda, they still taste great, but the green can be off putting!
Make sure you use fresh bread soda (bicarb)
Always preheat your oven.


Easy Soda Bread

Makes 1 loaf

1 1/2 cups       wholemeal flour
1/2 cup            white flour
1 cup               bran
1 cup               porridge oats
2 tbsp              brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp          bicarbonate of soda (bread soda)
500ml              buttermilk
Extra milk to moisten as necessary
Any seeds/nuts/dried fruit you fancy

Preheat oven to 180 C
Line a loaf tin (approx 21cm x 10cm)

Mix all the dry ingredients, add the buttermilk (or soured milk).  You want a sloppy mixture, like thick porridge.  I like to scatter with seeds before I put the bread in the oven.

Bake for 1 hour.

Bread is baked when you tap the bottom and it sounds hollow.

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

This recipe multiplies up very well, you can make as much bread as you have tins!

This next recipe is slightly more complicated, but not much.



Brown Bread

350g     wholemeal flour
350g     white flour
100g      bran
100g      porridge oats
50g        brown sugar
2 tsp      baking powder
1 tsp      bread soda (bicarbonate of soda)
2 tbsp    seeds to taste (optional)
1            egg
1 ltr        buttermilk (approx)

Oven 180 C
Prepare 2 loaf tins as above

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl,  add egg and enough buttermilk to make soft and sloppy.

Divide between 2 loaf tins, bake for one hour, remove the bread from the tin and return to the oven for 10 - 15 minutes.  Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Cool on a wire rack

Enjoy