Wholemeal Soda Bread #BreadBakers

Wholemeal soda bread is simple to make, quick to bake and toasts up like a dream. It’s perfect for sandwiches or just smeared with butter and jam. 

This recipe is adapted from one by Irish chef and founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School Darina Allen. She calls it Mummy’s Brown Soda Bread. I found it in several places on the internet, one with a note that at 82 years old (published in 2007) her mother Elizabeth O’Connell still made this loaf every day. 

Of course, that meant I had to find out if the ole gal was still baking now at a possible 95 years old, which led me to the most wonderful tribute to Mrs. O’Connell who sadly passed away on April 17, 2008. Chef Allen speaks of making this very bread as a young child in a mom-sewn apron, forming her own little loaf from a piece of her mother’s larger ball of dough. 

By all accounts, Mrs. O’Connell was a remarkable woman. Widowed at 36, she gave birth to her ninth and last child a month after losing her husband. She cooked them wholesome, healthy food, using produce from her kitchen garden, milk from the family cow and chickens she raised. Chef Allen recounts that her mother was still baking this soda bread, even after suffering a stroke, with her “good hand.” What a woman! I wish I could have met her. 

Wholemeal Soda Bread

I called this bread wholemeal soda bread since that is what whole wheat flour is called in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Here in the US, it’s known as whole wheat flour, of course. 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon white vinegar

About 1 2/3 cups milk

1 3/4 cups or 210g wholemeal (whole wheat in the US) flour

1 3/4 cups (218g) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda 

2 tablespoons butter, cut in cubes 

1 egg

Method

Preheat the oven to 425°F or 220°C and line a baking pan with baking parchment or a silicone liner. 

Put the tablespoon of white vinegar in your measuring cup then fill it to the 1 2/3 cup or 393ml milk. Set aside to sour. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and baking soda. 

Add the butter in small cubes and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles bread crumbs. 

Make a well in the center.

In another bowl, whisk the egg with the sour milk and pour most of the liquid into the flour mixture. 

Using one hand like a claw, bring the flour and liquid together gradually. I used my Swedish whisk and I recommend you do too, if you have one. They sure make mixing dough less messy. 

Add more of the sour milk mixture, if necessary. The dough should be quite soft, but not too sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and gently bring it together into a round about 2 inches or 5cm thick. I used a floured scraper for the shaping. Transfer it to your prepared baking pan.

 Use a sharp knife or a lame to  cut a deep cross on top. Chef Allen calls this blessing the bread. Next poke a small hole in each quarter. These are to allow the fairies to escape. 

Bake for  in the preheated oven 15 minutes then turn down the heat to 400°F or 200°C and bake for about 30 minutes more. 

When it is done, the loaf will sound slightly hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Remove from the baking pan and place on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy! 

Check out all the other lovely brown breads my Bread Baker friends are sharing today. Many thanks to our host Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. 

• Anadama Bread from Passion Kneaded
• Boston Brown Bread from Pastry Chef Online
• Brown Sandwich Bread from Anybody Can Bake
• Copy-Cat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Copy-Cat Outback Steakhouse Bread from Making Miracles
• Golden Braid of Bern from What Smells So Good
• Irish Brown Bread from Palatable Pastime
• Molasses Rye Slider Buns from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• No Knead Sprouted Wheat and Flax Seed Sandwich Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sourdough Molasses and Honey Brown Bread from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Traditional Steamed Brown Bread from A Messy Kitchen
• Whole Wheat Rolls from Magical Ingredients
• Whole Wheat Sourdough Sandwich Bread from Ambrosia
• Wholemeal Soda Bread from Food Lust People Love

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Roasted Butternut Bacon Feta Risotto

Any risotto is a bowl of comfort food, but this roasted butternut bacon feta risotto takes a simple rice dish up several notches. You can stir the bacon through the dish or simply use it as a generous topping. 

Many years ago when our younger daughter was at university, she and her roommates went through a phase where butternut squash was on regular rotation in their menu because of its cheap price and ease of roasting/refrigerating for future meals. 

What ended up happening is that said lovely daughter was completely off of eating butternut squash after that. There are just so many times a person can eat the same thing without being put off indefinitely. The problem is that her father and I still like it! 

So … the search was on for a recipe where butternut didn’t taste so fully of butternut. I am delighted to tell you that this one cracked the code. 

Roasted Butternut Bacon Feta Risotto

This recipe is adapted from a way more fancy one from Jamie Oliver. I love Jamie Oliver but sometimes he does get cheffy. This recipe is easy and tasty. It got a “would have again” rating from my taste tasters, even our younger daughter! And that’s saying something! 

Ingredients

2 small butternut squash, whole (about 2.2 lbs or 1kg)

Olive oil 

1 teaspoon ground coriander 

Fine sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper 

12 oz or 340g thick sliced smoked bacon 

6 cups or 1420ml chicken stock

2 shallots

2 short stalks celery

1 1/2 cups or 300g arborio rice 

1/2 cup or 120ml dry white wine 

4 tablespoons butter 

5 fresh sprigs oregano

8 oz or 226g feta cheese 

For topping: 

1/4 cup or 35g toasted, lightly salted pumpkin seeds

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Trim the ends off of your butternut squash and then cut them in half. Small squash don’t need to be peeled because the peel gets tender when cooked and is completely edible and delicious. 

Remove the seeds and discard. Cut squash into chunks and pile them in a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with ground coriander, fine sea salt and a few good grinds of black pepper. 

Shake the pan to separate the squash chunks. Bake in the preheated oven until soft, about 40 minutes.

Peel the shallots and dice them and the celery. 

Remove the squash from oven and set aside.

Break feta into small uneven chunks. I like using the tines of a fork for this job. Remove the oregano leaves from the sprigs and set aside a tiny pile for topping. 

In a large saucepan, fry bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels then cut them into pieces.

Remove all but two tablespoons of the bacon grease from the pan then add the shallots, celery and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes, until softened. 

Meanwhile, place chicken stock in a small pan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to very low to keep warm. 

Add the rice to the shallots and celery. Stir constantly until rice is translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.

Pour in the white wine and stir until it is absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes.

Begin adding the broth to the rice, a ladleful at a time, stirring frequently. Allow each ladleful to be absorbed before adding next; process will take about 20-25 minutes.

When ready, rice will be soft and plump with a slight bite. 

Remove rice from heat. Fold in the pumpkin chunks, butter and the larger pile of oregano leaves. Place a lid over the saucepan, and let it sit for 2 minutes so the butter can melt.

Fold in the feta pieces, reserving some crumbles for the top. 

Top with bacon and toasted pumpkin seeds. Add the reserved feta crumbles. 

Enjoy!

Check out this month's Baking Blogger pumpkin and squash recipes. Many thanks to our organizer and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. 

• Black Bean and Butternut Squash Enchilada Casserole from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Butternut Squash Cheesecake from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Crystallized Ginger Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookies from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Maple-Kissed Autumn Squash Tart from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Mock Pumpkin Cheesecake from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Pumpkin Cornbread from Making Miracles
• Pumpkin Spice Biscotti from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Quick Pumpkin Bread from Sneha's Recipe
• Roasted Butternut Bacon Feta Risotto from Food Lust People Love
• Sourdough Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Sweet and Savory Roasted Butternut Squash from Palatable Pastime
• Tikvenik - Bulgarian Pumpkin Pastry from Pandemonium Noshery

Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interested in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

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Caramel Stuffed Brownie Bites #FoodieExtravaganza

These caramel stuffed brownie bites combine the chewiest fudgy brownies with a big square of chewy caramel in the middle. 

I’m one of those kind of people: The kind that buys ingredients with no plan in mind, you know, just in case someday I might need them. A perfect example is the bag of Kraft caramel squares that I’ve been storing in the door of my freezer for going on three years now.

Sure of course they are expired by now, but they’ve been frozen all this time! And I’m pleased to tell you that frozen caramel doesn’t change texture or flavor. You are welcome. 

Caramel Stuffed Brownie Bites

Be sure to liberally oil the mini muffin pan inside the cups and on the tope between them as well. The brownie bites expand over the top and you do not want them to stick. 

Ingredients

2 cups or 400g granulated sugar

1 cup or 125g flour

1 cup or 120g Dutch process cocoa powder

3/4 cup or 94g icing sugar, sifted if lumpy

3/4 cup or 75g semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

3 large eggs

3/4 cup or 180ml canola oil or other light oil, plus extra for pan

3 tablespoons full fat plain Greek style yogurt

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

24 caramel squares (I used the individually wrapped Kraft ones)

Method

Preheat the oven to 325°F or 163°C. Prepare your 24-cup mini muffin pan by brushing it with oil. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar and salt. Now add in the chocolate chips and stir to distribute them well. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, yogurt and vanilla.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until barely combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Don’t over mix.

Spoon half of the thick batter into the muffin pan then poke one (unwrapped!) caramel in each muffin hole.

Cover with the second half of the brownie batter. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are slightly cracked and shiny.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack for about 25-30 minutes.

Use a heat resistant silicone spatula to carefully release the brownies from the muffin pan.

You may end up deforming them slightly but you can press them back into shape. 

Place them on the wire rack to cool completely. 

Enjoy!

This month my Foodie Extravaganza friends are sharing recipes featuring caramel. Many thanks to our host, Kelley of Simply Inspired Meals. 

• Caramel & Orange Cake Pudding Trifle by Sneha's Recipe
• Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Caramel Butter Bars by Making Miracles
• Caramel Stuffed Brownie Bites by Food Lust People Love
• Disney's Caramel Shortbread by Simply Inspired Meals
• Easy Caramel Modjestkas by Palatable Pastime
• Galaxy Cake by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Hopjesvla (Dutch Coffee Custard) by Tara's Multicultural Table
• Salted Caramel Mudslide by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

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