Here we have a run-down on the performance of Loaf 2 in The Great Soda Bread Road Test.  It’s called Six Seeded Soda Bread and it uses the same basic soda bread recipe for loaf one with a couple of tweaks and additions.

A reminder of the ratings: 1 being AWFUL, 2 being OK, 3 being AVERAGE, 4 being NICE and 5 being LOVELY.  Be sure to look at each category see where this loaf shines.

Category 1: Ingredients:

Once again I had no problem getting hold of the ingredients.  Plain white flour, wholemeal flour, buttermilk, salt and the six seeds. I did however have to go to more than one place to get them all so that was a bit of a pain.

 That said however, I give it full marks for category 1 because they were common ingredients, easy to source and easy to put together 5/5

Now to take a look at the next category in the rating system. This one is all about how well the ingredients come together in the bowl and how easy it was to make the loaf.  

 

Category 2: Make-ability

As you can see from the picture below, the ingredients sit very well together.  Mixing 50/50 white and wholemeal flour gave a lovely texture and colour to the ingredients in the bowl and when I added the seeds it was just gorgeous!

I did need to use quite a bit of extra buttermilk (I’d say at least another 50ml – perhaps even more), and that would most likely be due to the change in flour texture.  Flour is such an individual ingredient at the best of times so it’s useful to remember to make a judgement about liquid and not necessarily rely on what the recipe indicates.

I did find myself almost forgetting to brush the top of the loaf with milk/buttermilk and sprinkling on the fennel seeds and went rummaging around in my kitchen drawer looking for my brush – not fun with bread dough all over your hands!  That however, was probably because I was reading from two recipes (the basic soda bread recipe and the six seed variation) I will solve that problem for you by posting the combined recipe and instructions in the Just The Recipes section of the blog.  

So how did I rate it for Make-Ability?  Still easy, a little more thought required, a few more ingredients but the techniques are the same as the original so I’m giving it the same rating: 4/5

Just how gorgeous does this loaf of homemade soda bread look?  I was very pleased, you can see in the background the picture in the recipe book.  I think mine looks just as good so that’s another great reason to score it highly.

Category 3: Taste and Texture This is the big one.  In reality, I think it’s the one that matters the most.  Even if a recipe is complex and takes you some time to create, if it tastes fantastic, all is forgiven.  The joy of soda bread, and especially six seed soda bread is that it’s not complex, it’s an easy and quick bread recipes and it tastes AMAZING!

The combination of seeds, the addition of the wholemeal flour and especially the sprinkle of fennel seeds on the top come together to create a sensation in the mouth.  This homemade bread recipe is brilliant!  My family just kept coming back for more and each one of them made a comment about how this loaf was streets ahead of the basic recipe from which it came.  

I was quite happy with the texture but I think I probably took a little long to get it into the oven and may have lost a little ‘lift’ in the mix – remember the pastry brush incident?  All that aside, the texture was overall very good, the feel of the mix in the mouth, the seeds, the crunch all work extremely well together.  Once again this loaf gets full marks for this category!  5/5

Overall a very, very good loaf of soda bread and one I would recommend you have in your homemade bread recipes file.  4.5/5 overall.

 

 

 

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