This is so quick and easy to make… It reminds me of Irish soda bread.. I have my aunt here at the moment and her husband is Irish and the first thing that she said when she tasted it was.. “This is just like Irish soda bread, oh yum have not had this in ages.” The description is right that it is like a giant scone in its texture, it would pair very well in winter with a good hearty soup and then this bread to dip in it.. It is summer here and I made it to go with a platter that we were having on the terrace.. It was tried with both savoury and sweet toppings and as it is a little drier than conventional bread mixes the consensus was that it was great spread with butter and jam, my son had it with peanut butter and jam not my favourite but he liked it. There was also those who had it topped with honey, I personally just like it with some butter but I so love my butter. I am going to be posting some of my proper bread recipes soon and by that I mean made from scratch with yeast and taking you through the yeast rising process. I know fresh bread scares a lot of you but it is not as hard as it sounds and I can’t wait to teach you and have you making bread from scratch hot out of the oven for your family breakfast.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups plain flour
2 1/2 cups wholemeal flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 3/4 cups buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C Sprinkle a teaspoon of the plain flour over the centre of a baking tray and set aside. Put 2 teaspoons of plain flour into a small bowl and set bowl aside.

2. Meanwhile, put the remaining plain flour, wholemeal flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and mix well with your hands to combine.

3. Add the butter, breaking it up into small pieces with your fingers, and mix it into the flour mixture until combined.

4. Make a well in the centre of the flour-butter mixture and add the buttermilk.

5. Slowly add the buttermilk into the mixture with your hands until a rough ball forms.

6. Turn the mixture out on a lightly floured surface and form into a neat ball (without kneading).

7. Transfer the dough to the centre of the baking tray and press gently to form a 20cm-wide round.

8. Using a sharp knife, slash a cross 1cm deep across the entire top of the loaf and then dust the top of the loaf with the reserved flour.

9. Bake until the bread is light golden and a tap on the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow, about 60 minutes. N.B. Oven temperatures do vary so keep an eye on its baking — some oven’s may take less and other’s longer.

10. Wrap the bread in a clean tea-towel, and allow to cool slightly.

Slice and serve at room temperature or toasted, with a generous dollop of butter.

All Photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.