Honey-Oat Soda Bread Recipe

If you’re not familiar with soda bread other than something that may appear on restaurant menus around St. Patrick’s Day, recipe developer Jessica Morone says the appeal lies in how quickly they can be cooked. As she tells us: “Soda breads are great and so easy because the baking soda in them is what makes the bread rise, so you don’t have to wait for the bread to rise before baking it . This can cut a few hours off your bread preparation time and saves you all that kneading.

Although Morone admits that honey or any other sweetener is an atypical ingredient for soda bread, she tells us, “I like the little bit of sweetness it adds to the bread.” However, this bread is nothing like banana bread or pumpkin bread which is more like a cake. Morone says it can be eaten with jam or butter, but notes that “you can also use it as bread for your sandwiches.”

Read more: 30 Tools Aspiring Home Bakers Must Have

Gather the ingredients for Honey Oat Soda Bread

Although this bread is made with all-purpose flour, it’s also supplemented with oat flour, which you’ll make by grinding your own oats. Although Morone feels that “old-fashioned oats generally offer more texture than quick oats,” she says that quick oats will work just fine for this recipe. In addition to these two ingredients, you will also need baking soda, salt, honey, buttermilk, and butter.

Make the bread dough

Preheat the oven to 400 F since, as we’ve already noted, soda bread does not need to rise and will be ready to bake as soon as the dough is prepared. Next, prepare the oat flour by grinding the oats in a food processor, then combine it with the all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt. Once you’ve incorporated the buttermilk and honey, you should have something that resembles dough.

If it seems a little dry, Morone recommends stirring in a tablespoon of buttermilk at a time to remedy the problem. “It should be a fairly firm dough that holds its shape,” she notes, but adds that it shouldn’t be so dry that you can’t mix in all the flour.

Shape the bread dough

Sprinkle a little more flour on a work surface and a little on your hands as well, then scoop up the dough and shape it into a ball. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and use it to grease a 10-inch round baking pan. Morone enthuses, “I love baking soda bread in a cast iron skillet because it makes the crust really crispy,” but she admits that a cake pan can also be used as long as it has the right size. right size and shape.

Before the pan goes into the oven, take a knife and cut a large ½ inch deep cross into the top. Morone explains that this allows the soda bread to bake more evenly since, as she says, “When the crust is cooked, the inside of the bread won’t be raw.” After cutting the cross, melt the last remaining piece of butter and brush the top of the bread dough with it.

Bake the soda bread

Bake the soda bread for 45 to 50 minutes. When finished, the top should be golden brown and the pieces inside the cross-shaped cut should no longer appear raw. You can also try tapping the bottom of the pan to see if the bread makes a hollow sound like it should when cooked.

Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move it to a rack to finish cooling. Although Morone believes that “this bread is best the day it’s made, when it’s fresh and warm,” she acknowledges that not everyone will be able to devour an entire loaf before it cools. In this case, she says, you can store it at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for a week, or you can freeze it for long-term storage.

Honey-Oat Soda Bread Recipe

Preparation time: 15 minCooking time: 45 minYield: 1 loafIngredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

• 1 teaspoon of baking soda

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 3 tablespoons of honey

• 1 ½ cups buttermilk

• 1 ½ tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Place the oatmeal in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda and salt.

4. Add the honey and buttermilk. Mix until well combined.

5. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and use your floured hands to form a smooth ball.

6. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Pour it into the bottom of a 10-inch cast iron skillet.

7. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Use a knife to cut a large cross about ½ inch deep into the top of the dough.

8. Melt the remaining ½ tablespoon of butter and brush the top of the dough with it.

9. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and the center appears cooked. If you tap the bottom of the bread, it should sound hollow.

10. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack.

11. Serve hot with the garnish of your choice.

Read the original article on the tasting table.