Blueberry Spelt Soda Bread December 08 2013

Soda bread is one of the basic breads I make on a regular basis, but sometimes I jazz it up with some ingredients I have around the house.  Don't let the picture or the ingredient list scare you.  This is really just your traditional Irish Soda Bread getting dressed up!  It's a really hardy bread, great to toast up for breakfast, or as a healthy snack at anytime.  You can add some jelly, butter and honey, peanut butter, or whatever you like!  Take this to your family get togethers or home holiday parties and your friends will be impressed!

 

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup spelt flour
1/3 cup unbleached wheat flour
1/3 cup steel cut oats
1/4 or 1/3 cup of dried coconut flakes
1/3 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/3 cup flaxseeds powered
1 tablespoon whole flaxseeds (optional.  this is only to add specs of texture in bread)
1/8 cup roasted almonds (lightly chopped)
1/8 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup buttermilk
5-7 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil
a pan or something you prefer to bake bread on.  I used a cast iron pan.
Preheat oven at 350F.
Place the pan in the oven to get it hot.  

Sift all flour in a large bowl.  This would help the bread to have a lighter texture.  Next, gather all other dry ingredients  and whisk to mix well.

Add honey, coconut oil in dry ingredients.  If coconut oil is hardened, scoop 1/4 cup in a small pot and lightly warm it up on the stove, under low heat until it liquifies.  This would make your mixing easier than trying to break apart the large lumpy oil.

Slowly pour buttermilk in the mix and start to fold the dough until you made a ball shape.  Your dough should look like crumbly cookie dough that is very moist.

Sprinkle some unbleached flour on working surface (we are kneading the bread!) Use both hands and take your dough ball to place on floured surface.  Knead dough about 10 times to work the dough, make sure everything binds.  Reshape the dough and grease/rub the entire dough with coconut oil.

Take pan out of oven and sprinkle light coat of steel cut oats on the pan then place the dough on top.  Make a cross (+) on top of dough.  This will help bread to cook evenly.

After putting dough in oven, increase temperature to 400F and bake for 6 mins.

Now increase oven to 450F and bake for 10 mins. 

Now drop oven to 350F and bake for 20 mins.

Place a needle or stick in bread to check if it's ready. Your stick should pull out dry, without any dough sticking it.

Carefully, slowly remove bread and place on a cooling wreck.