Irish Brown Soda Bread

I found this recipe in an old cook book and I've been using it ever since. It contains buttermilk which is available beside the milk in the larger supermarkets. I get three loaves per carton of buttermilk so I freeze the remaining two loaves. If you're baking and washing up you might as well get three loaves for your trouble!

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

200g Plain flour
200g Plain wholemeal flour
50g rolled oats
2tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp salt
300mls buttermilk
Extra flour for sprinkling
                             
Method
Preheat oven to 200C/ 350F or Gas Mark 5. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Flour your work surface and tip the wet sticky dough out.

Place the dough into a oiled and floured 1lb tin and slash with a knife or if you don't have a loaf tin, with floured hands shape the dough into a round and use the handle of your wooden spoon to make a deep cross. Transfer to a floured baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes or until risen and golden.

Your brown bread should make a hollow sound when tapped underneath and most importantly wrap the bread in a clean tea towel and cool upside down (it's much easier to slice it later if you let it cool like this).

Beautiful served with Homemade Butter and Rhubarb and Ginger Jam.

Recipe Tip: For non ROI readers Saint Ivel Cultured Buttermilk 284ml is available at www.tesco.co.uk for less than 60p. If needed top up the St. Ivel with full fat milk. Alternatively mix half plain yogurt with half full fat milk. I usually make two loaves at a time and freeze one.