Seeded Soda Bread

Delicious served sliced and spread with a local cream cheese. If you don't have buttermilk, simply add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to the milk. Recipe courtesy of AGA Specialist Dawn Roads. 

Seeded Soda Bread

Makes 1 loaf or 12 scones

450g (1 lb) plain flour or half plain and half wholemeal flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

55g (2 oz) pumpkin seeds

25g (1 oz) linseed or sesame seeds

55g (2 oz) sunflower seeds

50g chopped dried apricots, optional

Approx. 400ml (14 fl oz) buttermilk or 300ml carton buttermilk and 100ml whole milk
 

1. Sieve the flour with the bicarbonate of soda and salt then add the seeds and apricots, if using.  

2. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add most of the milk, working quickly mix to a fairly soft soft dough. When the dough forms a ball, turn it onto a well-floured surface and lightly work into a flattened loaf. Place on a rectangle of Bake-O-Glide, lightly dusted with flour, and use a sharp knife to cut a deep cross in the top.

3. Bake on the grid shelf placed on the floor of the roasting oven for 30-35 minutes or until the bread is golden and cooked through. 

Rayburn: Bake in the centre of the main oven at 200ºC (400ºF), or Gas Mark 6 for 30-35 minutes.

4. To test if the bread is cooked, tap the underside it should sound hollow.  

Variation: if made into scones, reduce the cooking time to 10-15 minutes.