Nutty Smoked Soda Bread

Even though I was on holiday, I was glued to last weeks Great British Bake Off and I knew that I would love it. Last week was bread week. Before I lost my baking mojo thanks to depression, bread was my favourite thing to bake. I had been looking forward to last week as I am wanting to fall in love with bread making again, this was to be the push that I needed.

In the past I have baked baguettes and bread art was not for me. So that left me with soda bread.

Soda bread is normally my hubby's bake so I was excited to have a go. I love to experiment with new and different flours and while we were away we found a lovely little deli which had a wide stock of flours so before leaving for home I had to buy some for my soda bread. In this bake I have used three different flours along with a peat smoked salt and the flavours went together perfectly.

This is what I did...

Nutty Smoked Soda Bread

Ingredients

250g wholemeal spelt flour

100g chestnut four

150g plain flour

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 1/2tsp peat smoked salt

565mls buttermilk

Method

1 - Place the flours, salt and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl and mix together thoroughly

2 - Pour in the buttermilk and using one hand bring all of the ingredients together until you have a rough dough

3 - Place the dough on a floured top, I used extra spelt flour, a gently bring together in a ball, do not knead the dough!

4 - When you have your ball of dough gently flatten it a little and place on a lined and floured baking tray or stoneware plate. I used the stoneware as it produces an even heat.

5 - Cut deep slits into the dough to allow the heat to go throughout the dough

6 - Leave the dough for 30 minutes to prove and pre heat the oven to 200C

7 - After 30 minutes sprinkle over a little smoked salt and place the dough in the centre of the pre heated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown and the base sounds hollow when tapped

8 - Leave to cool on a cooling wire

I got the basic weights for the soda bread from Paul Hollywood's book Bread but adapted it to create this loaf.

All of the recipes say to leave your bread until it is completely cooled but with soda bread it is really at its best the day it has been baked and is so delicious when warm with butter spread until it melts! It will stay fresh if kept in a bag for a couple of days and is delicious when lightly toasted.

If you have never made bread before and want to try making some then soda bread really is the best and easiest to start making. 

Enjoy x

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