Seeded Soda Bread Recipes

SEEDED WHOLEMEAL SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Put the flour, seeds, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt in a large bowl and mix to combine. Stir the treacle into the yogurt mixture and, when the treacle dissolves, pour onto the dry ingredients. Stir together with the blade of a knife until you have a soft, sticky dough. Leave for 5 mins (this allows time for the liquid to absorb into the bran).
• Tip onto a lightly floured surface and form the dough into a round about 18cm across. It will still be very sticky, so don't over-handle it - treat it like scone dough rather than bread dough. Lift onto the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 mins until the crust is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath.

SEEDED WHOLE GRAIN SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix millet, quinoa, amaranth, 1 cup oats, 1 cup buttermilk, and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl. Cover and let sit 8-12 hours. (Alternatively, bring ingredients to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and let sit until mixture is thick like porridge, about 2 hours.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil an 8"-diameter cast-iron skillet or cake pan. Whisk whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, flaxseed, salt, baking soda, and 1/4 cup sunflower seeds in a large bowl. Work in butter with your fingers until largest pieces are pea-size. Make a well in the center and add brown rice syrup, oat mixture, remaining 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough is smooth, homogenous, and still slightly sticky.
• Form dough into a ball and place in prepared pan. Brush with buttermilk; top with more oats and sunflower seeds. Cut a large X into the top and bake until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of loaf registers 190°F, 55-70 minutes. Let cool in pan.
• Do ahead
• Bread can be baked 2 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

WHITE SODA BREAD

Steps:

• First fully preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Sift the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center. Pour all of the milk in at once. Using 1 hand, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well floured board.
• Wash and dry your hands.
• Knead lightly for a second, just enough to tidy it up, flip over. Pat the dough into a round about 12 inches (2.5 centimeters) and cut a cross on it to let the fairies out! Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure of this. Bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread: if it is cooked it will sound hollow.
• Soda bread only takes 2 or 3 minutes to make and 20 to 30 minutes to bake. It is certainly another of my 'great convertibles'. We have had the greatest fun experimenting with different variations and uses. It's also great with olives, sun-dried tomatoes or caramelized onions added, so the possibilities are endless for the hitherto humble soda bread.

SEEDED SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mix the flour, seeds and bicarb in a bowl, then mix together the milk and lemon juice in a small jug and pour it into the dry ingredients. Stir with a knife until the mixture comes together into a sticky dough.
• Tip onto a lightly floured work surface and lightly shape into a ball with wet or floured hands, as it will be sticky to handle. Lift onto a floured baking tray, reshape if required, then sprinkle more seeds over the top and press them in lightly. Bake for 35-40 mins until firm and golden. Cool on a wire rack, then wrap in foil until needed. Will keep chilled for up to four days, or frozen for up to a month.

SEEDED SODA BREAD WITH HUMMUS & TOMATOES

Steps:

• First, make the hummus. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and blitz with a hand blender and 4 tbsp water from the canned chickpeas until smooth. Chill until needed.
• Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, then add the whole cherry tomatoes in batches (on or off the vine) and cook over a medium heat for just a few minutes until they look on the point of bursting.
• To serve two for breakfast on the Healthy Diet Plan, toast 3 slices of the bread. Use a quarter of the hummus to spread over the toast, then top with a quarter of the tomatoes and scatter with ½ tsp of the seeds. Halve each slice of toast and serve 3 pieces per person. Keep the remaining bread, hummus and tomatoes chilled to serve on three subsequent mornings. Will keep chilled for up to four days.

SIX SEED SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• In a small bowl combine all the seeds and set aside.
• Combine the flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the seeds.
• Stir the sour milk/buttermilk (recommend using smaller amount and gradually add more milk as needed) into the dry ingredients just to blend (dough will be sticky).
• Turn out dough on to a well floured board and knead about 5 times, just enough to pull it together into a loose ball. (over kneading will make the bread tough).
• Place the dough on a lightly floured baking sheet and mark it with a deep cross across the top, cutting two-thirds to the way through the loaf with a serrated knife.
• Brush with a little milk and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of seeds.
• Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
• Cool on rack.