Irish Soda Bread Muffins
In celebration of St Patrick's Day, our colleague Fiona adapts a recipe by the great Irish chef Richard Corrigan to create Irish soda bread muffins.
As Corrigan himself describes this recipe, 'It’s the kind of bread you put out on the table with a meal, and by the end of it the loaf is finished. Fiona has made these as individual breads, making them great additions to an early spring picnic, in their neat portable form.
We sell a variety of pantry essentials and fresh dairy in our shops that, like our cheese, are made with simple, carefully chosen ingredients. In adapting this recipe to suit her needs Fiona champions several of these products that we are proud to sell - Irish stone-ground Macroom Oatmeal, Ivy House Farm Organic Jersey Buttermilk, and Scottish Blossom Honey. Sticking with the classic accompaniment to soda bread - salted butter - she serves these with Bungay Butter, a raw milk cultured butter made by the team at Fen Farm Dairy (who also make Baron Bigod.)
Ingredients
Serves 6. Adapted from Richard Corrigan's recipe.
250g plain flour
10g salt
15g sodium bicarbonate
150g wholemeal flour
75g jumbo oat flakes
75g Macroom Oatmeal (available in our shops)
1 tbsp clear honey (try our Scottish Blossom Honey)
1 tbsp black treacle
500ml buttermilk (try Ivy House Farm organic Jersey buttermilk)
Method
1. Heat the oven to 200°C and grease six muffin tins (or line with baking parchment.)
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a well in the centre, then mix in the honey, treacle and buttermilk, working everything together lightly with your hands until you have a loose, wet dough.
3. Flour your hands, shape the dough into six equal portions and place into prepared muffin tins. Lightly sprinkle the muffin tops with some some plain flour and a few oats. Put them into the oven and bake for around 15-25 minutes. Test if they are done by taking one out and tapping on the bottom- if it sounds hollow they are ready. Transfer to a wire rack, drape a damp cloth over the top and leave to cool.
