Soda Bread Buns With Fennel Seeds And Cranberries
by Nigella. Featured in SIMPLY NIGELLAIntroduction
I recommend eating one of these for breakfast with lots of unsalted butter, which gives all the sweetness I need, but if you want a sweeter bun, add 50ml runny honey along with the yogurt and egg. Like any soda bread, these buns are as good eaten with a slice of cheese, as they are with butter and jam, and the slightly more exotic scent of the fennel seeds and the bursts of tart flavour from the cranberries, don't stop these from having the cosiness of a — perhaps fictional — Irish parlour. And while they are not something I would knock up for an everyday breakfast, when I've got time on my hands I love to get said hands working a dough to conjure up a batch of these. A cursory glance at the recipe will show you how gratifyingly easy they are to make.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
I recommend eating one of these for breakfast with lots of unsalted butter, which gives all the sweetness I need, but if you want a sweeter bun, add 50ml runny honey along with the yogurt and egg. Like any soda bread, these buns are as good eaten with a slice of cheese, as they are with butter and jam, and the slightly more exotic scent of the fennel seeds and the bursts of tart flavour from the cranberries, don't stop these from having the cosiness of a — perhaps fictional — Irish parlour. And while they are not something I would knock up for an everyday breakfast, when I've got time on my hands I love to get said hands working a dough to conjure up a batch of these. A cursory glance at the recipe will show you how gratifyingly easy they are to make.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Makes: 8 bread buns
- 50 grams unsalted butter
- 150 grams plain flour
- 100 grams plain wholemeal flour (not bread flour) - plus more for cutting and sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground allspice
- 150 millilitres runny plain yoghurt or buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 75 grams dried cranberries
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup plain whole wheat flour (not bread flour) - plus more for cutting and sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅔ cup runny plain yogurt or buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
Method
- Melt the butter and then leave it to cool a little. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/gas mark 7/425°F, and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
- In a large bowl, combine both flours, the salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and ground allspice, and use a fork to mix well.
- In a measuring jug, or similar, whisk the yogurt or buttermilk together with the egg, and then whisk in the cooled, melted butter.
- Pour the jugful of wet ingredients over the bowl of dry ingredients, then add the dried cranberries and fennel seeds, and stir to mix with a wooden spoon. I then do the final bit of mixing with my hands once the dough seems to be coming together.
- Turn the damp or sticky dough out onto a floury surface, and then cut the ball of dough in half, and then each half into 4 pieces, so that you have 8 bits in total. Shape each piece of dough into a rough ball and place on your lined baking sheet with some space between them.
- Take a pair of scissors and snip a small "X" shape into the top of each one, then — using your fingers — sprinkle a little wholemeal flour over each bun.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the buns are brown and sound hollow when tapped underneath. Let them cool for about 10 minutes before you eat them.
- Melt the butter and then leave it to cool a little. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/gas mark 7/425°F, and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
- In a large bowl, combine both flours, the salt, baking powder, baking soda and ground allspice, and use a fork to mix well.
- In a measuring jug, or similar, whisk the yogurt or buttermilk together with the egg, and then whisk in the cooled, melted butter.
- Pour the jugful of wet ingredients over the bowl of dry ingredients, then add the dried cranberries and fennel seeds, and stir to mix with a wooden spoon. I then do the final bit of mixing with my hands once the dough seems to be coming together.
- Turn the damp or sticky dough out onto a floury surface, and then cut the ball of dough in half, and then each half into 4 pieces, so that you have 8 bits in total. Shape each piece of dough into a rough ball and place on your lined baking sheet with some space between them.
- Take a pair of scissors and snip a small "X" shape into the top of each one, then — using your fingers — sprinkle a little whole wheat flour over each bun.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the buns are brown and sound hollow when tapped underneath. Let them cool for about 10 minutes before you eat them.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD:
The dough can be prepared up to 3 months ahead and frozen. Shape the dough into buns, put on a lined baking sheet and, once solid, transfer to a resealable plastic bag and into the freezer. Bake from frozen, sprinkling with a little wholemeal flour, and add 2 minutes to the baking time.
STORE:
The buns are best eaten on the day they are made. Store leftovers in an airtight container for 1-2 days. Reheat in an oven preheated to 150C/ 130C Fan/gas mark 2/300°F for 8-10 minutes, or split buns in half and toast under a preheated grill.
FREEZE:
The baked buns can be frozen in resealable bags for up to 3 months. Thaw on a wire rack for about 2 hours and reheat as in the Store Note.
MAKE AHEAD:
The dough can be prepared up to 3 months ahead and frozen. Shape the dough into buns, put on a lined baking sheet and, once solid, transfer to a resealable plastic bag and into the freezer. Bake from frozen, sprinkling with a little wholemeal flour, and add 2 minutes to the baking time.
STORE:
The buns are best eaten on the day they are made. Store leftovers in an airtight container for 1-2 days. Reheat in an oven preheated to 150C/ 130C Fan/gas mark 2/300°F for 8-10 minutes, or split buns in half and toast under a preheated grill.
FREEZE:
The baked buns can be frozen in resealable bags for up to 3 months. Thaw on a wire rack for about 2 hours and reheat as in the Store Note.
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What 4 Others have said
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Show more commentsI love these little soda buns. The fennel, allspice, and cranberries make for an unusual, but wonderful flavor profile. These are good for breakfast, but I love them even more as an accompaniment to soups and stews. Either way, they are heaven with good unsalted butter!
These are delicious and very easy. I simply scooped out spoonfuls from the mixing bowl straight onto the baking sheet and then patted them roughly into shape. My mixture made nine rolls which cooked perfectly in 15 mins at 220°C in a non-fan oven. I didn't include the honey and the buns have an aniseedy twang with nuggets of chewy sweetness from the cranberries. Great result and I'm definitely putting these on repeat for when I want something quick and impressive.
Just baked the buns, lovely fennel-taste. I’ll try them with some blue cheese later today, my mouth starts to water already. They reminded me a bit of typical Dutch-frysian cookies called ‘dumpkes’. And at the end of winter a good way to get rid of some left-over cranberries.
Oh, the smell in the kitchen as soon as I opened the oven! How lucky we are! Thank You Nigella.