I have been on a crazy baking spree lately and my latest coup de coeur is Irish soda bread, which I made today. I first encountered this type of bread on a trip I took to the U.K. last spring when the friend I was visiting baked some in preparation for our hike of Stanage Edge. Irish soda bread is incredibly easy to make and you only need a few ingredients; most of which you probably already have at home.
Ingredients:
-3 cups whole-wheat flour (any kind of flour will do, but I use whole-wheat for the health benefit)
-2 tbsp flax seeds (honestly I used way more than 2 tbsp because I really love flax seeds and they're super healthy)
-2 tbsp sugar (I use organic cane sugar cause it makes me feel better about myself)
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
~Whisk together in a large bowl the flour, flax seeds, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
~Whisk together the buttermilk and vegetable oil.
~Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients immediately, then stir with a fork until the mixture turns into a soft dough.
~Flour a flat surface and your hands. Now form the dough into a ball and lightly knead it about 10 times.
~Place your dough on a baking sheet and form it into a circle about 6 inches across.
~Score a large X through the top of the dough with a knife.
~Bake in the centre of an oven pre-heated to 375 degrees for 45 minutes (when done the bread should be golden brown and a tester inserted into the centre of the bread should come out clean).
This is a wholesome and delicious bread that you can use for sandwiches, toast in the morning, or just on its own! Enjoy! :)
