My throat hurts. Yes, that's all it is, but it hurts. Why does it hurt? Probably because of this tendency for mother nature to have its fun with us every year at around this time. Is it good weather? Is it still cold? What's that - the sun?! No, no, no, it's not. It's still winter everybody. And now I'm sick, having been tricked like a gullible dog into believing that the sun had taken over this gloomy gray world we call 'a Montreal winter'. So I woke up this morning barely able to speak. I'm still barely able to speak, and at this point my wife and I have played a year's worth of charades.
Needless to say I haven't been very hungry for much, and most of everything else hurts too much. And as much as I love lemons, and honey, and even tea, lemon-honey tea was wearing out it's welcome. I'd been thinking soda bread for a few days and realized it wasn't a bad idea (and definitely more fulfilling than cream of wheat - sorry grandma).
So here it goes - whole wheat Irish Soda Bread:
Preheat oven to 400*C
- 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (can substitute with Spelt)
- 1/3 cup rolled oats (or other rolled grains)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 4 tbsp butter, cold, cut into 1/4" cubes
- 2 tbsp caraway seeds (optional)
- 1 tbsp flax seeds
- 1 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 tbsp honey
Combine the flour, salt and baking soda together. Rub in the butter with your hands, or use a blender with the blade attachment until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in the rolled oats, and the caraway and flax seeds if using. Add the buttermilk and honey and blend well.
Dust your work surface with flour and turn out the dough, kneading to blend only. Shape into an 8" circular loaf and score with a sharp knife in the shape of an X. Place on the middle rack in your preheated oven, baking until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath, around 40 minutes.
Enjoy with butter in thick slices. Yes, thick. And don't be ashamed, this bread won't last. I'm half done and the night is still young.
Keeps best in paper or a loose plastic bag, around 2-3 days at room temperature.
