Friday 19 April 2013

Treacle Soda Bread

Yes, I did just take a bite before I took a photo. And what a difference my new camera makes!

I've started serving this bread instead of my usual griddled focaccia. What I love about soda bread is the 'want bread-make bread-bake bread-eat bread' cycle is only 45 minutes. With focaccia (and most other yeast based) it's at least three hours. And boy this is good, especially with cold, unsalted Lescure butter (as above) just yielding to the warmth of the hot crumb. This is proper delicious: rich, malty, toasty, crunchy

In a bowl add: 250g malted flour, 250g plain flour, teaspoon salt, teaspoon bicarbonate of soda. You can use just white flour, but please don't.

To the dry ingredients add 420ml buttermilk, mixed with a good tablespoon of black treacle. Apparently you can use sour cream instead of the buttermilk. I've not tried it. Buttermilk is available in every large supermarket I've ever been to.

Bring together gently. Don't knead. Shape the dough into a squat round and cut a cross into the top. I sprinkle some rye flour all over but any flour will do. Bake immediately for 30 min at 200°C.

The treacle doesn't make it too sweet, instead it adds some complexity and depth of flavour. You wouldn't know it was there (until you leave it out).


4 comments :

  1. Brilliantly easy recipe thanks Jason. Just taken mine out of the oven....pretty damn good with a scraping of butter, even regular old butter!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad to hear. Did you use 50% malted flour? Please say you did.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So here in the USA, what would we call "malted flour"?? I use 1 cup of whole wheat and 1 cup of all-purpose white flour to make Treacle Bread.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmm. Good point. Divided by a common language, and all that.

      Try granary flour?

      Check out King Arthur flours. Or maybe ask a baker locally.

      Delete