Back to normal procedures - a multi flour soda bread to get a good start on

There's nothing quite like the scent of freshly baked bread just out of the oven, I have said that enough times before. Whenever I eat supermarket bought bread I end up feeling bloated and still hungry, it always feels like it's far too light and at the same time, heavy on the stomach, probably due to all the weird things put into it. I mean, a store bought baguette once in a blue moon will not kill me, obviously, and I do indulge in some of it, especially over the Summer holidays. We don't bake bread over the hols, not like we do the rest of the year, I mean it is the hols, and we do want a break from our regular routines.

 Thankfully, we have found a place where we can buy this great rye bread that tastes like *real bread*, when we're on our hols, and that does make all the difference. Even my hubby, who tends to be a white bread kind of guy, loves that rye bread and partakes of it. So that's our holiday bread covered for us there. Not that I wouldn't bake a soda bread or two during the hols, but, really, come on, I am trying to have a break during August, you know? We all deserve some rest, don't we? Yes, we do, even if it's from bread making. But once we're back home, now that's another song playing.

Once we're back home, it's back to routines and that includes trying to feed ourselves with the best ingredients we can afford and most of all, trying to cook most things from scratch with fresh ingredients and the least waste possible. So store bought bread is mostly out of the picture, and our Sundays are usually filled with heady scents coming from our kitchen as we bake breads gallore and cakes too. A regular Sunday will have my husband handling four different types of bread that are supposed to last for two weeks for the three of us, it has me cooking up a huge pan of soup that is meant to last at least one week - I do freeze soup, yeah - and also trying to fit in a huge Sunday dinner that might as well get part of it frozen for a later date. And a cake.

Most people will probably prefer taking Sundays out to enjoy themselves, doing stuff as a family on the outside, going to parks, the beach, museums, cinema, what not. Perhaps they buy their bread at a local bakery or the supermarket, perhaps they bake their own bread and are a lot more organized than we are so they can fit everything into the weekend. We don't like rushing around, we like slow living, so we tend to stay home on a Sunday, especially during the cold and wet months. Nothing beats cooking up a storm in the kitchen while it's pouring outside, and since our son loves cooking, it is easy to involve him in the fun. Just this past Sunday he was in the kitchen with his dad the whole day, baking bread and making a lasagna from scratch to use up the last of the Summer tomatoes.

Lately the boy has been willing to try breads that feature different kinds of flour and grains, with dried fruits and seeds, with loads of good, yummy things thrown in. I find that mixing flours adds interest to the taste of breads, and depth, besides being good for you, so I tend to have an array of different flours around the house - despite being drawn to rye mostly - so I can experiment on my soda breads. Because, honestly, soda bread is the only bread I bake. My husband does add different flours to the breads he bakes for me, my loafs are always filled with delicious stuff, but since my son has developed a love for soda bread, I have been baking it more often than not.

This is my latest "creation" and it features an amalgam of different flours. It's rich and flavourful, it has depth and interest but it also keeps its lightness. Do try!

• 100 gr strong bread flour
• 100 gr rye flour
• 75 gr spelt flour
• 75 finely ground oatmeal
• 50 gr mixed oats and grains with seeds and dried fruits
• 1 tsp soda bicarbonate
• 1 level tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 2 plain yogutrs
• 50 ml of milk with a dash of cider vinegar

Start by preparing the buttermilk in advance, fifteen minutes in the least, by mixing a dash of cider vinegar to 50ml of milk. Once it's ready, turn on your oven at 190º. On a large bowl, mix the flours and the grains with the salt and the bicarbonate. Prepare the buttermilk, yogurt and egg mix by beating the egg lightly and then adding it to the yogurts and the buttermilk, mixing the lot thoroughly. Now, with the help of a fork, whisk the wet mix into the flour mix and stir everything together. Once it starts to combine, lightly flour your hands and a cold working surfce and pour the batter onto it. Pat together until you form a rough ball, but do not knead it. Transfer the dough onto a baking tray lined with parchmente paper and flour, sprinkle some more flour onto the top of the bread and with a knife score a cross or a star over the surface. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for about 40 to forty five minutes. Allow to cool before you dig into it, but go ahead and enjoy a chunk while it's still lukewarm!!