Whole Wheat Soda Bread

If someone were to ask me to name my favourite recipe, this would be it. I bake it more frequently than I bake anything else. My sister Penelope was the person who provided me with this recipe for a seriously delicious quick bread that does not require yeast.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• ½ cup natural bran (this is available in the baking section of your grocery store and I suspect you can buy it in natural food stores as well)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• ¼ cup vegetable oil

Methods: 
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour in the buttermilk and oil. Stir, but only until the dry ingredients have just been incorporated. Try not to over-mix. Shape the dough into a roundish ball while still in the mixing bowl, and then turn the dough out onto a cookie sheet covered in parchment. I made a single knife-slice (about 1/2 cm. deep) across the top of the unbaked loaf before placing it in the oven. Bake for 1 hour. Serve with lots of butter and jam. Everyone enjoys this bread.