The Jam ~ Going Underground
Duffy ~ Rockferry
REM ~ Shiny Happy People
The Cure ~ Boys Don't Cry
Keane ~ Everybody's Changing
Phew! The little one's have been on form today..lol. Well actually that is doing the little nieces a disservice as it was the little fellas that were brimming full of the Christmas spirit..lol. They are most definitely, very 5 and testing their boundaries very well! lol. Our niece N was in fine form and ready to help Auntie R in the kitchen and littlest niece L was rosy cheeked with teething but also smiley and raring to go, now she has found her legs and crawling ability. lol. Love them all even when spirited! lol
At the moment I am taking some time and enjoying a cookbook I found in my local library and working my way through a huge list of recipes. The book is by Sophie Dahl and it is her From Season to Season
cookbook. I think Ms. Dahl must have been a vegetarian earlier in her life as 70% of the cookbook is vegetarian...and even a little vegan! Tofu Scramble and Tofu Lasagne in the same cookbook as a Beef Stroganoff! So I'm veganising the vegetarian recipes and trying them all. Today was the first stage of one of her recipes..a brunch recipe called Soda Bread with Goat's Cheese and Blistered Tomatoes. I'm making the brunch tomorrow and of course, I have made a vegan 'Goats Cheese' using a recipe I found on Bryanna Clark Grogan's blog Veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com and we picked up some lovely vine tomatoes. Today I wanted to make the Soda Bread so it was less to do in the morning..although it's so simple to make, it would have been fine if I'd had to make it tomorrow. My sister was here when I went to make it and her eyes lit up at the thought of freshly made, hot bread straight from the oven to go with our spicy soup this lunchtime. So with the help of Noo supervising My Love with one bowl and me doing another bowl, I ended up making two loaves today. It really couldn't be simplier to make. But be warned you sure get sticky...as Noo soon found out. We were picking out bits of dough of her all afternoon..lol. I veganised the recipe by using soys milk and apple vinegar to make vegan buttermilk but I shall put both on the recipe below.
The results were just simply delicious. The bread was homey, tasty and dense like a good soda bread should be but not heavy. I think I have stopped my search for a quick good bread recipe. Thank you Ms. Dahl! lol.
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| Soda Bread Heaven. And I promised Miss Noo that I would tell you that 'her loaf' was the one on the left! lol Happy little one? lol |
(Recipe from From Season to Season/Dahl)
400g/3cups wholemeal flour/plain white flour or spelt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
1 tsp salt
350ml/1 1/3 cups of buttermilk (1 1/3 cup of soya milk & 1 2/3 tsp apple vinegar)
In a small bowl place the soya milk and the apple vinegar and stir well and set to one side for 4 minutes. You want it to curdle and thicken.
In a large bowl add the flour, baking soda and salt and using your hand mix well. Create a well in the centre of the flour and pour the buttermilk/veganised buttermilk and using you had stir around to bring the flour mix and milk together. Keep stirring until the dough is formed. It will be quite sticky but stay with it. Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough onto it. Gently roll the dough around and then shape into a ball. Place on a lined baking sheet and score a cross into the dough. Place in a pre-heated oven at 200'C/400'F/Gas Mark 6 for 40 minutes. The loaf is done when tapping on the bottom of the loaf, a hollow sound should be heard. Leave to cool on a rack.
So..so...so..simple! And so..so..so good!
Don't forget to come back tomorrow for the Brunch recipe..
Enjoy!
~R~
