Ingredients

300g spelt flour 100g rye flour 100g kamut flour 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp fine sea salt Approx 500mls buttermilk 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds 1 tablespoon whole flax seeds 2 tablespoons of chia seeds A good sprinkle of sunflower and pumpkin seeds

What to Do

Pre-heat oven to 175˚C, gas mark 5

Put the flours, baking powder, salt and seeds into a large bowl.

Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk, stirring as you go

If necessary add a bit more buttermilk to bring the mixture together; you should form a soft dough, just this side of sticky.

Tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly for about a minute, just long enough to pull it together into a ball, but no longer – you need to get it into the oven while the bicarb is still doing its stuff.

If it’s too sticky add more flour, and too dry add more buttermilk – just feel your way!

Shape the dough into a firm ball, put it onto a lightly floured baking sheet and mark a deep cross in it with a sharp serrated knife.

Sprinkle with a few seeds.

Put in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath

Cool on a wire rack if you like a crunchy crust, or wrap in a clean tea towel if you like a soft crust

Soda bread is best eaten whilst still warm

You can also freeze it.