On some days my meal planning and shopping are no good and we wake up in a bread-less house. For one of my kids, an avid bread eater, it equals “there is nothing to eat”.
I wish I had more kitchen counter space for a nice bread machine that can be programmed to deliver a fresh loaf on my whim. Baking yeast bread from scratch is a challenge when you have two hungry kids and a husband to feed and you are stuck in the experimental stage tweaking with different recipes. So if you have a good sourdough bread ( my absolute favorite) recipe please share!
This soda bread saved me that morning and it is a keeper. The next weekend we tried making two sweet versions of it, adding chocolate and raisins soaked in orange juice. Both were delicious and worked great for breakfast, warmed in a toaster and spread with butter.
Feel free to use buttermilk instead of milk for a lighter bread. But make sure it is full fat, otherwise, the bread may be too dry.
- 2 cups whole grain flour (can be substituted for gluten-free mix)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon soda bicarbonate
- 1 cup whole fat milk or buttermilk
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
- Mix the flour, salt and soda in a bowl.
- Pour the milk or buttermilk into the flour mixture.
- Mix together for a few seconds till it just comes together. Do not over mix otherwise the bread will be rubbery.
- Shape into a round loaf and place on a baking sheet dusted with flour. Slash a deep cross on the top of the loaf to let the steam escape.
- Place on a middle rack in the oven.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Add a tablespoon of honey to the milk and a tablespoon of unsweetened cacao powder and 2 tablespoons chocolate chips to the flour mixture.
Sweet variation 2. Orange-raisin.
Soak ¼ cup of raisins in ¼ cup orange juice, 1 tablespoon of honey and zest of 1 orange for a couple of hours. Add to milk before mixing with the flour mixture.
