Bread Recipe 2 - Fluffy Soda Water Bread (Dairy free, egg free, corn free, yeast free...)

 You've heard of making damper with beer, right? Yeah, well, that I can't do. Beer is fermented. Besides, personally I think its gross. =P

But its the fermentation in beer which makes it so good as a raising agent in baking - without the need of any kind of yeast or baking powder. It's also the air in the beer (the bubbly, fizzy, whatnot) that also helps with raising baked goods. Just like lemonade. I have, in the past, used lemonade in cooking - but its on my no list due to the type of sugar and the flavourings and the preservatives.... need I say more?
But there is an alternative! Bubbly water! Yep, soda water lovers, time to get excited. Bubbled water I can do. And its thanks to mum for her patient experimentation of this newest bread recipe which we have actually made since. (That's a better ratio than the last one.)
Again, photography (c) me.... bread (c) the mum master. ;)

Spelt Soda Bread

Ingredients:
. 3 cups spelt wholemeal flour (for gluten-free loaf, substitute spelt flour for a combination of chickpea, corn, and rice flours)

. 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

. 1 Tablespoon Malt Rice Syrup (syrup can be substituted with honey, or even golden syrup)

. 3 Tablespoons mixed seeds (I used poppy seeds but Flaxseeds or sunflower seeds work well.)

Method:

Sift 3 cups flour into bowl, mix well with Baking Soda. Sift at least 2 times from one bowl into another, making sure the baking powder is well mixed in and spread evenly. Sifting the flours ensures that air goes throughout the mixture and will help it rise later on.

Add tablespoon of sweet syrup and stir gently. Add 3 tablespoons of desired seeds and mix well, but make sure not to go too heavy-handed - you want the air to remain in the mixture.

Slowly pour into dry mixture 2 cups of soda water - slowly to ensure the mixture doesn't bubble up to quickly, and is spread evenly. Mix very gently, and well, until mixture resembles a dry-ish cake mix. The loaf doesn't need to be kneaded or turned into a dough, but make sure the mixture isn't too wet, either.

Gently pour into lined and greased loaf tin and bake in oven (170 degrees) for 45-50 minutes, turning halfway. Loaf is cooked when sounds hollow when tapped and browned on outside.

Slice while hot (not too hot) and enjoy buttered or plain! The great thing about this loaf is that its actually very similar to German bread and can be toasted!!!!!