This recipe was dad's who was a fourth generation butcher. Great for breakfast, lunch or as a snack. This bread freezes so well.
Ingredients
Makes 2 x 1lb loaves
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
- 250g wholemeal flour
- 250g self-raising flour sieved
- 1 tsp baking powder sieved
- 1 tsp bread soda sieved
- 25g light brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- 1 pint buttermilk
- 25g butter
- 2 tbsp treacle melted
- 2 tbsp porridge oats
Optional extras:
- 25g chopped nuts - I like walnuts
- 25g sultanas
- 30g mixed seeds- chia/sunflower/ flax/pumpkin
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/ 200C fan/ gas 7.
2. Grease and line 2 x 1lb loaf tins or use disposable loaf tin liners.
3. Mix the wholemeal flour, self-raising flour, baking powder, bread soda, sugar, and salt into a large bowl.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.
5. Crack the egg into the buttermilk and whisk together, in a separate bowl.
6. Melt the butter and treacle in a saucepan or microwave, add this to the buttermilk and mix.
7. Gradually add half of the buttermilk mixture to the centre of the dry ingredients.
8. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine the ingredients.
9. Add the remaining buttermilk mixture to bring everything together.
10. Try not to over-mix, stop once it is just combined.
11. Divide the mixture between the two loaf tins.
12. Sprinkle the top of each loaf with some oats/nuts/seeds.
13. Bake for 50 minutes.
14. I cover it with tin foil after 25-30 minutes, once the tops are golden, to prevent a very hard crust.
15. Wrap the loaf in a clean tea towel and allow it to cool for 30 minutes on a raised wire rack before cutting.
Tips:
- Store in an air-tight container once completely cooled for 3-4 days.
- Freeze the whole loaf, halved or sliced for 3-6 months, wrapped in tin foil.
- Defrost by leaving it at room temperature and covering it with a clean tea towel. Itake mine out the night before.
