Recipes

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) 210 fan/Gas8. Line a baking tray with
greaseproof paper (for a round loaf) or butter and line a loaf tin.

In a large mixing bowl add the flours, wheatgerm and oats. Rub in the butter, then add the salt and bicarbonate of soda. Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk, using a wooden spoon, stir everything together until it forms a dough (or you can mix everything together by hand if you wish). The dough will be wet and clumpy at this point.

Lightly dust your work surface and your hands with flour, then turn
the dough out and knead it gently, just until it comes together in a
smoother ball.

Pat it into a smooth circle about 1 inch deep and transfer it to the lined baking tray, then cut a deep cross in the centre. Alternatively, form it into a loaf and place in a greased or lined loaf tin.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, checking it halfway through the
cooking time to rotate the tray and ensure it isn’t browning too
quickly. Gently warm the honey and water together and set aside.

After 25 minutes, remove and brush with the honey and water, sprinkle with oats, pop back into the oven, reduce the temperature to 200c/180c fan/gas 6. Bake for another 5-7 minutes. When it’s done, it should be golden brown and the bottom will sound hollow when you tap it.

Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before you slice
it. Soda bread is best eaten on the day it’s made, but any leftovers
are excellent when toasted.