sesame soda bread

Ingredients
- 300 g wholemeal plain flour - 150 g white plain flour - 1 tsp salt - 2 tsp brown sugar - 280 ml buttermilk or yogurt - 140 ml milk (and extra for brushing) - 2 tbsp black or white sesame seeds, or half and half (and extra for sprinkling)
Instructions
No kneading, no waiting, no proving... this is a quick bread fix if you're hard up for time. The texture is more scone-like than bread-like though, and soda bread is best eaten on the day it's made. 1. Preheat oven to 225 deg celcius. Toast sesame seeds lightly. 2. Sift flour into a large bowl but add back to the bowl the bran that has been sifted out. 3. Stir in sugar, salt and sesame seeds. If you are doing half and half, you need to have two bowls and separate ingredients into half. 4. Make a well in the centre of the bowl and pour in buttermilk and milk gradually, while mixing with a spoon. 5. The dough should be soft but not too sticky. Turn onto a floured surface and knead very lightly. It is more like trying to pat and shape the dough into a bun. 6. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Using a sharp knife, slash a cross on the top (to let the fairies out!) and place on a floured baking tray. 7. Bake at 225 deg celcius for 15 minutes, then turn down to 200 deg celcius to continue baking for about 25 minutes. The bottom of the bread should sound hollow when tapped.