At its simplest, soda bread needs nothing more than flour, buttermilk, salt, and baking soda. I like to dress up my soda bread, dropping in a spoonful of caraway seeds or a handful of raisins. One of my favorite versions combines flaked oats with whiskey-soaked currants. I like the rustic, chewy texture the oats give to the otherwise uniform crumb of soda bread.
MAKES: 1 LOAF
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups white whole wheat flour, plus more for working the dough
- ½ cup flaked or rolled oats, plus more to top the loaf
- 1¾ cups buttermilk
- 1 cup dried currants Whiskey, for soaking the currants
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon finely ground unrefined sea salt
- Heavy cream, for glazing the loaf
- Unsalted butter, to serve
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl and stir in the flaked oats. Slowly dribble 1½ cups of the buttermilk into the flour and oats, stirring until a soft, shaggy dough forms. Tightly cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm spot in your kitchen for at least 12 and up to 18 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Spoon the currants into a small bowl and cover them with whiskey. Let soak for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, finish the bread dough. Pour the remaining ¼ cup buttermilk into the soaked flour, then spoon in the baking soda and salt. Beat until the dough forms a uniform mass. Flour a work surface and turn out the dough onto the surface. Drain the currants, discarding the whiskey, and knead them into the dough. Flour your hands well and form the dough into a ball.
- Brush the dough with heavy cream and dust the top with flaked oats. With a serrated bread knife, score the dough with an X about ½ inch deep.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the dough on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, decrease the oven temperature to 400°F, and continue baking for 20 minutes longer, until the bread is browned and fragrant. Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing and serving with plenty of butter.
