With the constant worry of Corona virus, and the lines at the supermarket, there's a very good chance that you may find yourself amongst the unlucky folks that arrive two customers too late for Hot Cross Buns. Don't panic! You could stock up on bread flour, spices, dried fruit with peel and grab the sachets of dried yeast, or... turn it into a cooking adventure and turn the new 'Bread of the moment' Soda bread into Hot Cross Soda Loaf. This recipe is so easy, that I made it yesterday in 30 mins with a good bit of experimentation on my part as frankly I get bored strictly following recipes. I used a classic Irish soda bread recipe and added a few personal tweaks, of course you could scour the internet for a precise fruit loaf recipe, but where's the fun in that! I had a few slices toasted for breakfast this morning and I was a very happy bunny with the result.
Fruity Soda Bread. Makes 1 loaf.
6oz Plain flour (plus more for dusting)
6oz Self Raising flour (you can use wholemeal SRF to be more traditional)
10Floz Buttermilk (or normal full fat milk mixed with lemon juice and rested 5 mins)
1tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp stem ginger cut into small cubes
4 oz mixed dried fruit with peel (or whatever dried fruit you prefer, either way it all needs to be equal size to the cubed ginger)
1 apple, peeled, cored and cubed.
1 tbsp light brown sugar
Method:
Preheat oven 200 degrees C
Line a loaf tin if you have one, or use a baking tray if not.
In a large bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients and the fruit and give it a good mix. (With the fruit coated in flour it won't sink to the bottom of your loaf, it'll ensure even spacing.
Make a well in the middle and pour in the milk.
Bring the dough together with a spatula (or your hands), it'll be a little sticky, but you can add more flour a little at a time if it's overly so.
Tip onto a flour dusted counter or chopping board and knead into a loaf shape (either for the tin or a round to go on a baking sheet)
Cut a cross on the top with a sharp knife and place in the centre of the oven and bake or 30 minutes.
At this point you get to clean up any mess, do the washing up and kick back with a nice cuppa.
Trust me when I say the smell that comes from the oven whilst this is cooking is awesome!
The loaf is ready when if you knock the bottom it sounds hollow.
Allow to cool and then you can slice and toast to your hearts content.
Notes: Fruit can be replaced with all sorts of yummy things, chocolate chips, caramel chips, toffee, glace fruit, basically the only thing stopping you is your imagination, so experiment, and if you dislike the result, the birds will love it!
Fruity Soda Bread. Makes 1 loaf.
6oz Plain flour (plus more for dusting)
6oz Self Raising flour (you can use wholemeal SRF to be more traditional)
10Floz Buttermilk (or normal full fat milk mixed with lemon juice and rested 5 mins)
1tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp stem ginger cut into small cubes
4 oz mixed dried fruit with peel (or whatever dried fruit you prefer, either way it all needs to be equal size to the cubed ginger)
1 apple, peeled, cored and cubed.
1 tbsp light brown sugar
Method:
Preheat oven 200 degrees C
Line a loaf tin if you have one, or use a baking tray if not.
In a large bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients and the fruit and give it a good mix. (With the fruit coated in flour it won't sink to the bottom of your loaf, it'll ensure even spacing.
Make a well in the middle and pour in the milk.
Bring the dough together with a spatula (or your hands), it'll be a little sticky, but you can add more flour a little at a time if it's overly so.
Tip onto a flour dusted counter or chopping board and knead into a loaf shape (either for the tin or a round to go on a baking sheet)
Cut a cross on the top with a sharp knife and place in the centre of the oven and bake or 30 minutes.
At this point you get to clean up any mess, do the washing up and kick back with a nice cuppa.
Trust me when I say the smell that comes from the oven whilst this is cooking is awesome!
The loaf is ready when if you knock the bottom it sounds hollow.
Allow to cool and then you can slice and toast to your hearts content.
Notes: Fruit can be replaced with all sorts of yummy things, chocolate chips, caramel chips, toffee, glace fruit, basically the only thing stopping you is your imagination, so experiment, and if you dislike the result, the birds will love it!
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