super simple oatmeal soda bread

How To Make super simple oatmeal soda bread

• Step 1
  Preheat oven to 400' with rack in middle of oven.
• Step 2
  Butter & line a 9x5x3 loaf pan w/parchment paper & set aside.
• Step 3
  Grind oats in a processor, blender or vita-mixer into a fine powder (Once ground it may yeild slightly less than 2 cups). Or just use oat flour if you have it on hand. (I sometimes add 2-3 T. of raw sugar to the flour to add a slight sweetness to the bread. Do whatever you prefer.
• Step 4
  Sift the flours, baking soda & salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour & pour in the buttermilk. Stir just until everything comes together in a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter top &b kneed for 30 seconds or so, just enough for the dough to come together into a cohesive slightly flattened ball w/out many cracks. If dough is on the dry side add a small splash of buttermilk.
• Step 5
  Now ease dough evenly into prepared pan. Brush all over top & sides w/buttermilk & sprinkle generously w/mixed seeds. (I have also just sprinkled w/rolled oats when I was out of seeds & that was fine) But the seeds do give it a wonderful crunch & flavor.
• Step 6
  Slice a few deep slashes across top of dough. Bake for about 30 minutes ... then quickly raise rack to top level so top gets nice & toasted. Bake another 20 min's or until a hard crust forms & bread is baked through. (Should feel very hard & sound hollow when you knock on it).
• Step 7
  Carefully lift out of pan & cool on wire rack. Enjoy fresh from the oven w/slather of butter: )
• Step 8
  PS .. This is such a flexible recipe. Feel free to make it your own by adding dried fruits, various seeds (pumpkin/flax, etc) and experimenting w/different flours, etc. All the variations I've tried on this have turned out good.
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