Soda bread..my crack.

 I wandered around the kitchen this morning, hungry, but picky. Opening and closing presses, pulling things out, considering, then throwing them back. Lets face it, breakfast is a meal that sucks. Most of the time you're in too much of a hurry to care, there are loads of myths surrounding the fact that you'll obviously die a horrifically painful death if you miss it..and whoever invented Wheetabix ought to have a spear inserted into their heads..and then be force-fed it for the rest of their lives. 

Now, I'll be honest, breakfast for me is usually a once a month occurrence. I don't care to eat so early in the morning. What inevitably happens is that my appetite is awoken and will not be sated without eating and snacking all day.So usually I avoid it like the plague. Also..as much as I like the traditional fry, I find the sodium overload has me drinking water like a nomad in the desert reaching an oasis after weeks without fluid. 

Something had to be eaten this morning, perhaps something to do with the glass of wine last night. After 10 minutes of huffing and puffing, ignoring yoghurt and eggs, my eye fell upon the bread bin. Would there be anything in it? I LOVE bread..and as such try to limit my intake. If calories were only a figment of the imagination I would gladly live on bread and real butter for the rest of my life..alas that is not the case :/ 

I knew I had made a soda loaf yesterday, but I assumed it had been taken away to work by my father. Success! He had left a quarter behind!! 

There is nothing so lovely as freshly made brown soda bread with a good spreading of butter (in this case low fat - a concession to the healthy eating). Now, brown soda bread is ridiculously  simple to make..no messing around with yeast and proving. Dry ingredients + wet ingredients (mix and shape) + oven = bread.

How can you mess it up? Well. I was SHOCKED..shocked I tell you, when, on a trip to American I was presented with ''soda bread''. Now..Technically it was soda bread as it contained sodium bicarbonate. That is where the similarities end. Firstly it was white soda. Something you're very very unlikely to come across in Ireland. Second, it had dried fruit in it. Now...how can I say this? JUST NO. You do not put dry fruit in a savoury bread. I have no problem it being in sweet bread like brack. That is where it belongs. Keep it away from the soda bread. Those crazy Americans. K....rant over. (Don't all yell at me..I know there are people in Ireland who do this to..they should have their citizenship revoked).

Now...to my recipe.. you will need:

250g white flour (strong or plain I notice no difference)

250g wholemeal flour

150g jumbo oats

10g salt

15g bicarbonate soda

1 tbsp honey

1tbsp black treacle

450-500ml buttermilk

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6.

Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir. 

Make a well in the middle , add the wet ingredients..when it comes to the milk, add 450mls first, if you need to make the dough a little wetter add the remaining 50ml.

stir well with a wooden spoon till all the ingredients are well combined. (the below picture it's well combined just yet :) )

sprinkle some wholemeal flour on to a baking try and empty the dough onto it.

shape into a circle with your hands and using a long serrated knife cut a cross into the top of it. (The legend is that you're letting out the fairies - the reality is it helps the loaf to rise)

Put into the oven for 40 mins on the middle shelf. After 40 mins, turn the loaf over and leave for another 5 minutes. 

Take out of the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. 

and then eat!!(preferably with lots of real butter at the weekends and low fat stuff for everyday consumption). The bread lasts 3 days, or if in a sealed contained for 4. It never lasts that long around here and I usually end up making 3 a week (but then my dad can eat and eat and never gain a pound..stupid men's metabolisms) ENJOY!