Friday Makes, Bakes & Learns #16

This wheaten soda bread the easiest and the yummiest to make - no yeast involved!  The recipe came from an old Tesco magazine a few years back.

Prep: 15 mins

Makes: 1 loaf

Cooking: 50-60 mins

350g strong wholemeal flour

175g strong plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 x 284ml cartons buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F/G6.  Butter a baking sheet.  Sift the wholemeal and plain flours, the salt and bicarbonate of soda together in a large bowl.

Add any bran left behind in the sieve from the wholemeal flour to the bowl and stir well.  Mixing quickly add sufficient buttermilk to form a soft dough. Be careful not to over knead or your loaf will be chewy.

Shape the dough into a round and place on the baking tray. Sprinkle the top with a little extra wholemeal flour for a nuttier top.

Cook at the top of the oven for 30 mins then reduce the temperature to 180 C/350 F/G4 and cook for about 20-30 minutes.

Remove when risen and crusty on the surface and hollow-sounding when tapped on the base.  Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!  

We ate it with our M&S Valentine Dessert - Baked Emmental Gruyere Bake - which was yummy - although we thought more of a starter dish than a dessert!