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Rustic Buttermilk Bread

This recipe is much like an Irish soda bread but does not contain lard or shortening. One old recipe from the 1960s calls for honey, and many suggest molasses, but I love this version,  which includes Roger's Golden Syrup. Often these loaves were baked in a Dutch Oven, on top of a stove, in kitchens where there was no oven available. 

Make sure you mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another, so as not to activate the leavening process prematurely. 

Although this bread is best served on the day you bake it, I often freeze slices between sheets of wax paper and enjoy it toasted. 

Rustic Buttermilk Bread

Dry Ingredients: 

2 cups whole wheat or whole spelt flour (I use spelt)

2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

Wet Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of Rogers Golden Syrup

1 egg beaten

1 ½ cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Grease or line a cookie sheet. I used my Silpat silicone liner. 

In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl, combine Rogers Golden Syrup, beaten egg, and buttermilk. 

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix to combine thoroughly. Knead a few times (10 to 12) on a board sprinkled with rolled oats.

Shape the dough into a ball and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake the loaf for 50 to 60 minutes or until it makes a hollow sound when tapped on top. This bread slices easily while warm, but an uncut loaf makes a beautiful centrepiece. Feel free to cut it when you are about to serve.