REVISED 5-MIN SEEDED IRISH SODA BREAD ; quick & easy, no yeast/sugar/butter/egg, high fibre, option for no common wheat

Healthy bread that's super quick and easy, tasty and beautifully textured - make it top of your home baking list. 

Easy Peasy 5-min prep Irish Soda Bread with Oatmeal & Seeds
'... so tasty, fresh or toasted, for so little effort!' 

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Irish Soda Breads are a lifesaver in busy households: there's no kneading or rising, no preservatives, salt is controlled and it takes just 5 mins to measure, mix and slide into the oven.

This simple recipe has no butter or eggs, relying on (low-fat) buttermilk and bakking soda for the rise.  They produce a lovely tender bread that is very tasty and very healthy.  It makes great toast, and freezes well.

This recipe is perfect for small households.

Cost: £1.50'ish (4/2023)

Makes: small loaf

Ingredients:

175 gm plain flour (67 used Sharpham Organic wholegrain spelt but any flour will do) 

 50gm oatmeal

handful sunflower seeds

handful pumpkin seeds (opt)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

min 180ml-max 240 ml buttermilk or substitutes (67 used a combo of yoghurt, milk & buttermilk - see Tips) 

 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200c/390F
2. The tin size is important to prevent underbaking. Line a 21x11cm/8.4x4.5in (large'ish) loaf tin with greaseproof paper with the ends extending to make removing the bread easily; the loaf will rise beautifully but not very high, forming half size slices 
3. Mix dry ingredients including seeds in a good-sized bowl; make a depression in the centre
4. Only when the oven is ready and you can immediately put the bread dough in the oven, add 180 ml of buttermilk 
5. Stir with a fork until all liquid is absorbed; mixture will be thick but malleable; if it looks dry, add a tiny bit more buttermilk tablespoon by tablespoon 
6. Scrape into the tin; quickly smooth out the surface with spatula or offset palette knife
7. Do not rest the dough; place in oven immediately (the buttermilk activates the baking soda immediately; the dough starts rising and will deflate if not baked right away)
8. Bake 30-35 mins; top should sound hollow when tapped
9. Turn loaf over, return to oven 5 mins until bottom also sounds hollow
10. Serve warm with butter 
11. 
    Freezing: cool completely; on the same day as it is baked, slice the bread; separate slices with a square of greaseproof paper; pack into a sealable sandwich bag; freeze and remove slices as needed

Comments: 

'My goodness, this is tasty for so little effort!  The toast is especially good. I'll be making this again.' Retired writer

Tips:

No buttermilk?  

• Replace with: 75% yoghurt + 25% water or milk 
• OR 100% whole milk with 2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice added and rested 10 mins

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission