Categories: Bread

Ingredients

• 450g/1lb wholewheat flour (soft or strong)
• 450g/1lb white flour
• 600ml/1pint buttermilk or plain yoghurt
• 5ml/1tsp salt
• 100g/4oz butter or margarine at room temperature, cut into small pieces
• 10ml/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
• a little extra milk if necessary
• extra butter for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6

2. Mix flours, salt and bicarbonate of soda together in a large bowl. Rub in the fat with your fingertips.

3. Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk or yoghurt and mix well. It should be a dry dough, but if too dry add 1-2tbsp of milk.

4. Turn out onto the work top and knead for 2 minutes. You will be surprised how all the loose flour is incorporated into the dough! It should be dryish and crumbly but hold together (add a little more milk if necessary at this stage).

5. Divide into two loaves, form into rounded shapes and place each on a greased baking sheet. Make eight deep cuts into the dough to form the farls (use a floured knife).

6. Place in the oven making sure you leave enough head room for the bread to rise. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven then reduce the heat to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and continue baking for a further 25 minutes. The bread should rise quite a lot and the cuts open out.

7. When cooked, remove from the oven and cool on wire trays.

8. This bread can be frozen once cooked, otherwise it should be eaten on the same day as it has been made as it goes stale very quickly.

Email to a friend | Print this recipe | Back