St. Patty's Sourdough

Another winning St. Patrick's Day recipe! This one adds sourdough to the soda bread, and raisins (or currants) and walnuts to the traditional caraway seeds. I also added sunflower seeds, which sometimes turn a little green during the baking process. I found this recipe on a sourdough blog compilation. 

This is fantastic as a toasted breakfast bread, served on the side of soup, or just as a snack with some tea.

Ingredients 

2 ½ cups flour (I used half white/half wheat)

1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup raisins or currants
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts

¼ cup sunflower seeds

1 tbsp caraway seeds
1 cup fed sourdough starter
1/2 cup warm water
4 tbsp honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a baking sheet.

Whisk the baking soda and salt into the flour, then toss through the currants and walnuts, making sure the currants are coated in flour – this will ensure they stay evenly distributed through the loaf.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the starter, water and honey. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until combined. Add a dash more water if needed for the dough to come together.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead together lightly, pushing back in any currants or nuts that come out.

Form dough into a ball and place on baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut a 1/2″ deep cross in the top.

Bake in center of the oven for about 30 – 35 minutes, until deep golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.​