Off to River Cottage...

Just wanted to share a loaf of bread with you

Image: Ingrid

before I head south for five days.

This is Hugh's soda bread with seeds, slightly adapted. I love baking soda bread - so tasty and so easy.
If you want to have a go, here is the recipe I used:

Irish Soda bread with seeds

500g wholemeal flour
350-400ml of buttermilk
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1-2 Tablespoons of each : poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, fennel seeds and sesame seeds
1 tsp salt

Mix flour together with all the other dry ingredients.
Add half the buttermilk and mix in with a knife
Add the rest of the buttermilk and gather together with your hands. It should not be too wet or too dry. Adjust with flour or liquid accordingly. Try to do this quickly without overworking the dough.
Form into a nice rounded ball shape.
Cut a cross into the top - don't pussyfoot around here, a deep slash is called for. It is essential to help the loaf cook through.
Brush top with a little buttermilk  and sprinkle a few more seeds on.
Set the loaf on a baking tray, lined with baking paper and add to centre of a nice hot oven, approx 200-220C for 30 -35 mins.
Keep an eye on the loaf as it bakes - it is easy for the loaf to get too brown before it is cooked through.
Enjoy this sliced with a nice strong slice of cheddar cheese or toast it tomorrow with marmalade.
Soda bread tastes best eaten fresh, so if you don't want to eat it all on the day it is made, I suggest you slice and freeze it. The loaf comes out perfectly fresh and ready to join a bowl of soup when you need a nice nutty flavoured bread.

Hope to be back blogging next week from deepest Devon with some ideas from the River Cottage cooking course I am heading off to join. Have a great week till we meet again.