Fresh Bread in Forty Minutes

Another recipe from the little book "morning bakes" by Linda Collister. Of course, I completely stray from the whole point of this bread and basically create something other. Mom has stew in the Crock-Pot and we need fresh bread fast!

This hearty loaf is based on the "brown soda bread" recipe, minus mixed-grains, adding butter and altering the milk....let's just call it what it is....Fresh bread in forty minutes! Directions follow:


Ingredients:

• 3 cups of flour or so
• 1 teaspoon salt (consider skipping this if you use salted butter)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cup 1% milk (let sit with 8 teaspoons of lemon juice added to it)

Playing in flour is great fun, a bit messy for sure, but that's part of the fun. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Grab a large bowl and put in the flour, salt, baking soda, and rub in the diced butter with your fingertips.

When it looks like crumbs... work in the milk mixture with a wooden spoon. 

Knead it on a floured surface a few times shaping it into a round loaf around seven inches and an inch thick. Now on the baking sheet dust it with flour and cut a deep cross on top. Brush with milk if you like.

So, here we are after maybe five or ten minutes of preparation and now only 25-35 minutes to bake! Check it with a knife to make sure it's cooked all the way through, and when it's ready eat it right away!

This bread is perfect for the juices of stew! Tweak this recipe to your tastebuds and your dish. Not really a morning bread if you ask me, unless it's a Winter morning with Winter stew. :)