Friday 9 August 2013

Long Long Time, No Post

I HAVE GRADUATED. I am a graduate, I have finished University, I am done.  I have moved from Edinburgh, to Lincolnshire and now to Manchester. So the start of my Manchester life has not been smooth. For someone who does not handle change easily, its been a difficult summer. However, things are looking up. I have a part time job, I am volunteering with the National Trust (life time ambition), and I am moving into a shiny new flat next week. I miss Edinburgh, a lot,  but I am looking forward to making a life in this northern town. I have been baking but photo's are scare so I will post a favorite to settle me back into some baking, blogging and life routine.


So Soda Bread. It is wonderfully easy, takes minutes to make and is very satisfying. Just try not to eat to much in one sitting, it makes great toast drizzled with honey the day after. Soda Bread has creamy, close texture and you can add many different flavors, from ham and mustard to herbs or treacle.

Recipe from 'Bread', River Cottage. This recipe book is simple and honest. The recipes show off the ingredients at their best and the ingredient lists are unfussy.

Ingredients

500g plain flour
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp fine sea salt
Approx. 400ml buttermilk or live yogurt, like natural yogurt. Or 400ml of milk can be used with a squeeze of lemon juice in it and left to stand for a few minutes. 
A little more milk, if necessary

  1.  Preheat the oven to  200°C/gas mark 6 and pop the baking sheet into the oven to warm up.
  2.   Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl and stir in the salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk, stirring as you go. If necessary, add a tablespoon or two of milk to bring the mixture together to form a soft dough. It wont come together perfectly so just work with it
  3.  Tip it out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly for about a minute, just long enough to pull it together into a loose ball but no longer. Do not over knead the bread. I would time a minute to make sure.  You need to get it into the oven while the bicarbonate is still very active. The dough won’t appear like a yeast dough, it should feel fragile and light, all of the flour might not be incorporated.
  4.  Lightly flour the warm baking sheet and place the round of dough on to it and dust generously with flour. Mark a deep cross in it with a sharp, serrated knife, cutting about two-thirds of the way through the loaf. Put it into the preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. It should also feel light when you take it out. It is hard to judge with just tapping, if in doubt leave the dough in the oven. It will not affect the doughy part of the bread, only the crust will be chewier if left in oven for more time. 
  5. Cool on a wire rack if you like a crunchy crust, or wrap in a clean tea towel if you prefer a soft crust.
  6. I often halve the quantities of the recipe and make a smaller loaf. Take ten minutes off the cooking time