Nothing smells better than the aroma of homemade bread, baking in the oven. As many of my regular readers will know, I adore making bread. Yet sometimes, time is the enemy. Especially if it’s needed for breakfast and we have run out. The solution is to bake this beautiful and delicious Cherry Bakewell Soda Bread.
An un-yeasted bread, made even easier by using a packet of Wrights Scofa Bread Mix. All this tasty loaf requires is a little mixing, shaping and popping in a preheated oven to bake. The addition of cherries and flaked almonds gives this loaf the wow factor. Especially with the almond flavour icing, temptingly drizzled over the loaf and finished with ruby red, glacé cherries.
Since this loaf takes less than 45 minutes from start to baked, it is perfect for lazy weekend breakfasts. Still, if you are in a real rush, ditch the icing and crown of cherries and serve this sliced, warm from the oven, with butter if desired.
While this bread can be made and baked in under an hour, leaving to cool allows for simple, yet stunning decoration. Thick, almond icing, draped over the rustic loaf, simply topped with jewelled cherries. Creating a sensation for the eyes as well as the palette. Cooled and sliced, I found this delicious, hearty loaf needed no further addition. Each bite full of almonds, cherries and rustic, wholemeal bread.
Recipe: Cherry Bakewell Soda Bread
1 Packet Scofa Bread Mix available from Wrights Baking
Cold Water
150g/5oz Glacé Cherries
100g/4oz Flaked Almonds
3tsp Almond Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey
200g/7oz Sifted Plain Icing Sugar
Method: Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan, gas mark 7.
- First of all, remove 12 whole glacé cherries and set them to one side for decoration.
- Next cut all the remaining cherries in half.
- Place the volume of water, as specified on the packet, into a large bowl.
- Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract to the water. Swirl to mix.
- Add the entire packet of Scofa Bread Mix.
- Now add the cherry halves on top of the bread mix, lightly dusting them with the mix to stop them sticking together.
- Reserve one tablespoon of flaked almonds for decoration and add the rest to the bowl.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until it comes together.
- Tip the dough out on to a lightly floured work top and shape into a round.
- Place the shaped dough on to a greased baking sheet.
- Cut a deep cross into the dough, if not icing, sprinkle the remaining almonds over the bread.
- Next place in the centre of a preheated oven.
- Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes. Once baked it will sound hollow when rapped on the base with your knuckle. Note – this baking time is slightly longer than specified on the packet. This is due to the addition of cherries and almonds.
- Once baked remove the bread from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
- Note – the bread doesn’t change colour very much whilst baking.
- Allow the bread to completely cool before icing and decorating.
- To make the icing: Add 2 teaspoons of almond extract to the sieved icing sugar. Now add enough water, approximately one tablespoon, to the icing and stir. It should be a thick paste that can hold a figure of eight for a few seconds.
- Place the cooling rack with the bread on it, over a baking tray, to catch any drips.
- Start in the centre. Spoon thick icing over the bread, encouraging it to drape down over the sides of the loaf.
- Continue until the bread is evenly drizzled with the icing.
- Next, place the reserved cherries on top of the bread, forming a crown-like circle.
- Finally, scatter the reserved almond flakes over the bread.
- Set the decorated bread to one side to allow the icing to set.
Serve this delicious bread sliced, for breakfast, lunch of afternoon tea. In fact, it is perfect for anytime of the day.
Store in an airtight container. This bread is at its best when eaten wishing 24 hours of baking. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem!
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Making something different for breakfast at the weekend is a real treat. Whilst most of my baking is made from scratch, the convenience of having good quality packet mixes in the cupboard cannot be denied. Balancing time spent together as a family with, the time it takes to create a feast, is important.
Do you make breakfast more of a treat at the weekend?
After all, it is the most important meal of the day?
Sammie xx
Wrights Baking supplied me with the mix to create this recipe. All views, content and photography are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy.
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