I know that everyone and their brother makes soda bread around this time of year, and I am no different. This time, I made it with wholemeal flour, so a little darker, a little more rustic and really really quite flavorful. A nutty flavor, for sure. Not very sweet at all, so would go great with a sharp cheddar too. I’ll be back to sourdough making soon enough, but this was great for this week! This is the recipe from the KA site and that is also where I got the wholemeal flour.
Ingredients
4 cups KA Irish-Style Flour*
2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
Heat the oven to 400F. Prepare a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk and the butter. Stir together until blended — some lumps will remain. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead about 10 times, or until it all holds together.
Form the dough into a large ball and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Cut a deep cross in the top. Bake the bread for approximately 40 minutes, or until it tests done with a toothpick or cake tester. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Serve with sweet butter and a dollop of marmalade, if desired.
Store, well-wrapped, for a couple of days at room temperature.
*If you don’t have access to KA’s whole meal Irish-style flour, you can substitute Whole wheat pastry flour. It will be finer, and the loaf a be a bit moister, but it is an adequate substitute.
