Blueberry & Lemon Soda Bread
Blueberry & Lemon Soda Bread - with the addition of wholemeal spelt flour this really is a healthy and delicious treat.
Servings 10
Ingredients
- 180 ml milk I used semi-skimmed
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 200 g plain flour
- 150 g wholemeal spelt flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 50 g sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- zest of 1 unwaxed lemon*
- 90 g frozen blueberries
Topping
- Demerara sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190ºC.
- Prepare baking sheet by dusting with flour.
- Stir the lemon juice into the milk then put aside.
- Sieve the flours, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl (tipping the spelt husks that are left into the bowl).
- Mix in the caster sugar, salt, lemon zest and frozen blueberries.
- Add the curdled milk and mix to a dough with a fork then bring together with an oiled hand to form a ball of dough.
- Tip onto the baking tray and flatten to a circle measuring about 16 cm. (Speed is required to get this in the oven asap as the raising agents start working as soon as he liquid is added).
- Cut a deep cross into the dough (going nearly all the way through but not quite) and then sprinkle the top with demerara sugar.
- Bake in the oven for 30 – 35 minutes until the base sounds hollow when knocked.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Serve warm or cold with butter (and jam or lemon curd if desired).
- Will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container.
Notes
*If you don’t have an unwaxed lemon you must wash the wax off as this is not meant for human consumption. I use a drop of washing up liquid, rub in well with a drop of warm water and then give it a scrub with my potato brush and rinse well. I think I got this tip from Michael van Stratton on a radio show (LBC) many years ago!