Multi Grain Soda Bread

Soda bread is the perfect bread to bake when you want a fresh warm loaf, without waiting for the dough to rise. The texture is obviously denser than yeast dough bread, but the easiness and quickness of making this bread compensate for that.
Unlike in traditional Irish soda bread, here I, once again, used different types of flour in the dough, in order to give it a more interesting texture and higher nutritional value.
To that, I also added steel cut oats, that added another layer of texture and a wonderful, nutty flavor. A small amount of honey added a nice aroma to the bread, which turned out so chewy and tasty. Try it and enjoy.

Notes:
* Steel cut oats are oats grains that have been chopped rather than rolled. They don’t cook as quickly as rolled oats, and that is why they need to be softened prior to adding to the dough. Don’t skip the step of soaking them.

Makes: 1 large loaf
Soaking time: 30 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup boiling water
1 cup dark rye flour
1½ cups white flour
½ cup spelt flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1¼ cups buttermilk
2 tsp honey
White flour for topping

1. Place the steel cut oats in a bowl, add the boiling water and mix. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes, until the oats soften and the water absorbed.

2. Preheat the oven to 360F (180C). Line a baking sheet pan with baking paper.
3. In a large bowl, mix the rye, white and spelt flour, with the salt, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Add the buttermilk, honey and soaked steel cut oats, and knead briefly.
4. Shape the dough to a thick wide disc, about 10” (25cm). Dust with white flour and make a fairly deep X cut over the top with a serrated knife. Lightly dust the baking paper with flour and place the disc over it.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the bread is puffed and golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center turns out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack, to cool to room temperature.