FRUIT SODA BREAD WITH OLIVE OIL - IN THE OVEN IN 6 MINUTES!

Fruity - and spicy!

We had some friends call round this afternoon, and I wanted to make them a loaf to take away with them.

This calls for soda bread, so I quickly knocked up a fruit soda bread with olive oil. The olive oil really softens and rounds the crust - which can often be quite hard on a soda bread.

Ingredients:
250g self raising flour
2 dessertspoons sugar
1 dessertspoon mixed spice
150g sultanas
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
155g water
45g extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Line a baking tray with some silicon paper and turn on the oven
2. Into a bowl place the dry ingredients and mix to distribute the spices evenly.
3. Add the water and pour in the olive oil.
4. Mix quickly into a dough (I managed in in 90 seconds today)
5. Tip out onto the worktop, without adding flour  - instead, drizzle with olive oil and knead for several moments.
6. Then firmly mould it into a round flat loaf, about 3cm thick and place it on your prepared baking sheet. (With practice you can get the mixing and shaping done in less than two minutes.) To allow the heat of the oven to reach the centre of the dough more easily, cut a deep cross into the top of the loaf with a sharp knife.
7. Bake in the centre of the oven at 220C (or 200C for a fan oven) for 25-30 minutes.

The loaf is ready when it has a good colour underneath and a skewer comes out clean. You may need to put it back in, upside down, for a few more minutes. Place to cool on a wire rack and – for a softer crust – wrap the bread in a tea cloth.

This loaf took 32 minutes from thinking about it - to admiring it!