This bread smells divine. I know this for a fact because a shared a car with a still warm half portion of it for a 3 hour car journey. Fresh bread fragranced car air freshener, could that be a thing? Maybe not, but it definitely works in your house and kitchen. It will take all your restraint to stop slicing yourself a piece the second it leaves the oven.

Making this soda bread is so easy it’s ridiculous; five ingredients are all you need! I hadn’t planned making this bread at the weekend but I found a bag of this seed and grain bread flour in my parents cupboard and when the recipe on the back seemed so simple, I thought I should give it a try. I’m not normally a fan of soda bread, I find that it has a slightly sweet taste that I just don’t enjoy very much, but because this flour gave the bread a lovely nutty flavour that was perfect with butter and jam.

See, only 5 ingredients. So simple, yet so yummy!

Sugar, salt and bicarbonate of soda get whisked in to the flour, then the buttermilk added.

The dough is quite sticky so I folded the buttermilk in gently with a spoon then as soon as it was holding together tipped it out to shape it.

The prepared bread is baked first at a high temperature for 15 minutes, then a further half an hour at a slightly slower temperature.

Seeded Soda Bread

recipe taken from the back of the Allinson Seed & Grain Wholemeal Flour bag (but would work with any bread flour)

makes 1 loaf

500g seeded wholemeal bread flour

1tsp salt

1tsp sugar

2tsp bicarbonate of soda

400ml buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 210 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by rubbing it with oil.

Measure out the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add in the salt, sugar and soda - whisk to even distribute.

Add the buttermilk and gently fold to mix.

When the dough is holding together turn it out on to a lightly floured board. Gently knead the dough to bring and stray bits of mixture together and shape into a 4cm deep round.

Transfer on to the baking sheet and mark a cross on the top with a floured wooded spoon handle.

Dust the dough with some flour before baking.

Bake the bread for 15 mins at 210 degrees before turning the oven down to 180 for 20 - 30 mins.

The bread should be browned on top and sound hollow when the base is tapped.

Allow to cool (if you can!) before eating.

Enjoy!