Mummy's Brown Soda Bread

"My mother, Elizabeth O'Connell, now 82, still makes this soda bread every day," says Allen. Scoring a deep cross into the surface of the dough is called "blessing the bread." Because the bread uses baking soda as a leavener, it requires minimal kneading and no rising, so you can bake it just before supper and serve it warm.

Yield: 1 loaf, 12 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients

• 2  cups  all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
• 2  cups  whole wheat flour (about 9 1/2 ounces)
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  baking soda
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt
• 2  cups  buttermilk
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Add buttermilk to flour mixture; stir until blended (dough will be sticky). Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface; knead lightly 4 to 5 times. Shape dough into an 8-inch round loaf; place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cut a 1/4-inch-deep X in the top of the dough.

Bake at 450° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400° (do not remove bread from oven); bake 15 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

169 (10% from fat)

Fat:

1.9g (sat 0.9g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.2g)

Protein:

6.2g

Carbohydrate:

32.4g

Fiber:

3g

Cholesterol:

6mg

Iron:

1.7mg

Sodium:

355mg

Calcium:

10mg