Seeded Soda Bread

 

It's that time again. Time for the mad after-school-dash with something yummy and nourishing in my goodie bag. This time it's a quick seeded bread, simply buttered. I have to tell you I was under some serious time constraints with this one. I literally threw the ingredients together. No sooner were these lovely loaves out of the oven, but parcelled up and out the door. I didn't even get a chance to clean up before we had to hit the road. You know what it's like when you're in a hurry? You just grab things and figure you'll deal with the mess later. Yeah, that's what I did. When we came home, my kitchen looked like a bird feeder - there were seeds every where. 

The prep-work for this recipe is simple and fast  - the clean-up, not so much!

Seeded Soda Bread

from Delicious

Makes 2 small loaves

30g pumpkin seeds

30g sunflower seeds

125g plain flour

350g wholemeal flour, plus extra to dust

15g wheat germ

1 teaspoon bi-carb soda

400ml buttermilk

1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Scatter half the pumpkin seeds and half the sunflower seeds on a baking tray and toast in the oven for about 6-8 minutes. When the are golden, remove them and allow to cool.

Sift plain flour into a large mixing bowl, then sift in the wholemeal flour, wheat germ, bi-carb and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir together to combine, then add the toasted pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk and mix until you have a sticky dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough with floured hands, then from into 2 small loaves. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross 1cm deep across the top of the loaves. Brush the top of the dough with a little water, then scatter the poppy and sesame seeds and the remaining pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds on top.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.