OLIVE SODA BREAD

This is a recipe for the famous Irish bread influenced here by the Mediterranean flavours of olives and fennel . Ingredients required ,125gm of room temperature butter/ marg , 60 gm of sugar , 1 egg lightly beaten ,470 gm of wholemeal self raising flour ,185 gm of plain white floiur , 1 and 1/2 tsp of bi carb of soda , 375 ml of buttermilk (= 1 and 1/2 tbs of vinegar added to 375 milk),125 gm of sliced black olives , 1 dsp of fennel seeds , 1 tsp of coarse sea salt . Preheat your oven to 200deg C . Place butter/marg , sugar ,lightly beaten egg in your food processor and process until smooth . Add wholemeal flour , plain flour ,bicarb of soda , milk and process until a soft dough forms . Now turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead in the olives . Shape the dough into a large round ball . Place on a lightly greased and baking paper lined and floured baking tray . Using a sharp knife , cut a cross in the top . Sprinkle with fennel seeds and sea salt . Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer when inserted into the bread comes out clean .