Stilton & Walnut Soda Bread

Name: Stilton & Walnut Soda Bread
Yield: Makes 1 loaf
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 250 g wholemeal flour; 100 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting; 50 g pinhead oatmeal; 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp sugar; 1 large egg; 300 ml buttermilk (if you can't find buttermilk, you can use 330ml of natural yoghurt. I like to use YEO Natural); 100 g walnut pieces; 200 g stilton, crumbled

Jodie Mann @MannBakes

Scotland

No need for yeast, kneading or proving. The quickest bread you can make and one of my favourites served with a sweet chutney. Treat this bread like a savoury scone: it is best eaten on the day it is made, or at least finished within a day or two. It also freezes well. For best results, leave the bread on the baking tray for 30 minutes to allow the bicarb to activate before baking.

Jodie Mann @MannBakes

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Ingredients

Makes 1 loaf

250 gwholemeal flour
100 gplain flour, plus extra for dusting
50 gpinhead oatmeal
1 tspBicarbonate of soda
1 tspsalt
1 tspsugar
1large egg
300 mlbuttermilk (if you can't find buttermilk, you can use 330ml of natural yoghurt. I like to use YEO Natural)
100 gwalnut pieces
200 gstilton, crumbled

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Steps

1

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.
Place the flours, oatmeal, bicarb, sugar and salt into a large bowl and mix together. Add the walnuts and stilton and stir gently.
2

In a separate bowl, use a balloon whisk to beat the egg and buttermilk together.
3

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in half the buttermilk/egg mixture. Using the fingers of one hand, draw the flour into the buttermilk mixture. Continue to add the buttermilk mixture until all the flour has been incorporated and you have a sticky dough. You may not need to use all of the buttermilk mixture, as different flours absorb less than others.
4

Tip the dough onto a floured surface, shape into a ball and then flatten slightly. Place onto a large baking tray lined with baking parchment. Use a sharp knife to mark the loaf into quarters, cutting deeping into the dough but not quite through the base. Dust the top of the loaf with flour. For best results, leave the bread on the baking tray for 30 minutes to allow the bicarb to activate before baking.
5

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the load is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. You can carefully cut along one of the seams to see if the inside is cooked through; if not, put the loaf back in the oven for 5 minutes or so.
6

Transfer the soda bread to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.