Walnut and Treacle Traditional Irish Brown Soda Bread

Makes 4 x 445g/1 lb loaves or 2 x 890g/2lb loaves
 
Stuff you need;
 
650g/ 1.5 lbs Extra coarse brown flour
225g/ ½ lb. Plain White flour
2 teasp. Bread soda (bicarbonate of soda) sieved
100g/ 4 ozs Irish Creamery Butter
handful/ 4 ozs roughly chopped walnuts- any nuts you fancy really
small handful/ 2 ozs Demerera sugar- optional
1 litre Buttermilk
4 Eggs lightly beaten
3 dessertspoons of Treacle (warmed slightly)
A handful of pinhead oatmeal and a little porridge oats can also be added
 
How to do it;
 
Mix all dry ingredients very well in a mixing bowl.
Beat the eggs well with a mixer and then add the melted butter and mix with the warmed treacle, give it a good mixing and add ¾ of the buttermilk.
Make a well in the centre and add all the liquid ingredients, do not add the remaining butter milk unless you think you need to, it is quite a wet mixture not possible to knead it and should almost pour into the tins but not quite…
Divide mixture into 4 x445g)1lb. well oiled bread tins.
Shake sesame seeds on top or any other seeds you fancy
Bake at gas 3 (170ºc) for 50mins -one hour approx.
We always listen to our bread to decide when it is ready, when it almost stops talking it is ready, still whispering a little though..
 
Enjoy!
Katy Lucey.