If the mere thought of making bread overwhelms you, fear not. Soda bread is SUCH a simple bread to make and requires essentially no kneading. It is perfectly moist on the inside with a crunchy rustic crust: your guests will never know how easy it is to make! You can substitute half of the flour for whole wheat flour should you wish to add a bit more fibre and texture.
Ingredients:
- 3 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup wheat germ
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¾ cup dried currants
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2 tsp. grated orange zest
- 1/3 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 ¾ cups buttermilk
- 1 egg, beaten
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, wheat germ, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and using your fingers or a pastry blender, mix in the butter until it is the size of peas.
- Add the cranberries, currants and orange zest and mix together.
- In a separate medium bowl or glass measuring cup, mix together the buttermilk and egg.
- Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until combined (don’t over-mix). Using your hands, turn out the dough on to a floured surface and knead a couple of times with the back of your hand, rotating the dough and pressing it together until you form a nice round loaf.
- Place the formed dough on the prepared baking sheet and using a sharp knife, cut a shallow X in the dough on the top of the loaf.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until golden brown.
