Caraway Soda Bread

Sometimes a recipe will catch your eye, be it in a magazine, book or food blog, and you feel like you just have to make it.  This happens to me a lot.  What doesn’t always happen is having all of the ingredients necessary, to hand.  It’s a rarity and I love it when it occurs.  How many times have you got ready to start cooking and discovered you are missing one totally vital ingredient?  I’d like to think that I am an organised soul: I write endless lists and tick things off as I go (ooh, the frisson), I’m rarely late and I can pack like a jet setter – that is to say, easily.  But hardly a week will go by where I don’t discover that I have used up all of my flour, drained the last of my rapeseed oil, or, worst case scenario, run out of pine nuts.  Fortunately for me, I have the most incredibly friendly and well-stocked neighbour who doesn’t mind too much when I beg a little something here and there from her.  It’s not as bad as it sounds, really.  She and her family are one of the major recipients of my recipe testing, especially the baking, so I think things even out.

This recipe by Vanessa Kimbell at Prepped caught my eye immediately.  I love soda bread: I love its flavour and I love how easily adapted it is too allergy-friendly baking.  I also have quite a serious penchant for caraway seeds.  Ever since Terence Stamp brought out his gorgeous rye bread slices with caraway I have been well and truly enamoured.  Fortunately, they work terrifically in this little loaf and as Vanessa points out: it’s super quick and very simple.  Serve it warm straight from the oven or leave it to cool and eat it the next day toasted – I think it improves that way.

CARAWAY SODA BREAD

Makes 1 little loaf

You will need a 1lb loaf tin for this recipe

500g Doves Farm gluten free plain flour

1 ½ tsp caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp caraway seeds

450ml rice milk

2 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 190c and lightly grease the loaf tin.  Make up the soured milk by pouring the rice milk and lemon juice together in bowl or jug and leave to stand while you prepare the flour.  Sift the flour, caster sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum and sea salt into a large mixing bowl.

Pour the soured milk over the flour mixture and stir together until well bound and you have a ball of slightly tack dough.  Turn the bread into the tin and gently push it into the corner and then level the top with the back of a spoon.  Brush the top with a little extra rice milk – this will help the loaf to brown a little.

Bake the loaf in the oven for around 45 – 50 minutes or until slightly coloured and hollow when tapped on its base.  Turn out of the tin and serve while warm.