A Shared Family Recipe Journal: Oat Soda Bread (Gluten-Free Adaptable/Dairy-Free Adaptable)

People, this is NO APOLOGIES GLUTEN-FREE BREAD! With crust and chew and no strange sponginess. Gluten-free eaters will know what I am talking about. I haven't even made the recipe with wheat flour because it is so dang tasty without. I can only imagine that the gluten-full recipe is amazing, too, maybe even with spelt or rye as noted in the original recipe. I have been making this for several weeks now and keep varying the gluten-free flours I use and they are all delicious in different ways.... use Tom Sawyer's flour for a more white, neutral flavor; use garbanzo &/or brown rice flour for a more substantial and round flavor with more protein; use quinoa and ..... you get the picture. I think the next time I make it I will try it in part with my new favorite 'flour' of finely crushed pecans or almonds to make a good breakfast version. Anyway, eat it plain with good salted butter, with jam, soup or the next day as a PB & J. So good! And very fast to make, too. I strongly recommend making at least 4C worth of the oat flour, because you will want another loaf very soon and this makes it even faster the next time.

Ingredients:

butter, to grease pan
2 c rolled oats
2 1/4C unbleached all-purpose flour*, plus more for dusting and kneading
2tsp xanthan gum* (only if making gluten-free)
1 3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine-grain sea salt
1 3/4 c buttermilk**, plus more if needed, and 2T. for brushing
mixed seeds - sesame, caraway, poppy, etc. (I like black and golden sesame seeds)

* If Tom Sawyer's Gluten-Free Flour here, it has the xanthan gum mixed in, otherwise you can substitute your favorite gluten-free flour mix and make sure it either has xanthan gum in it, or use approximately 1tsp Xanthan Gum:1cup flour. Round down for partial cup measurements, for example here, use 2tsp Xanthan Gum with the 2-1/4c flour
** I made my own buttermilk as noted in this previous recipe for buttermilk biscuits, using 1-3/4c soy milk or almond milk with 1-3/4tsp white vinegar

Instructions:
1.Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Butter and line a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan (or one with ~8 cup capacity) with parchment paper and set aside.
2. To make the oat flour, use a food processor to pulse the rolled oats a few times. Then process into a fine powder - another minute or two. If you are buying oat flour, not making your own, measure out a scant 2 cups. (skip this step if you have oat flour in your pantry already, I don't typically)
3. Sift the flours, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the flour and pour in the buttermilk. Stir just until everything comes together into a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter top and knead for 30 seconds or so, just long enough for the dough to come together into a cohesive, slightly flattened ball without many cracks or fissures. If your dough is on the dry side, add more buttermilk a small splash at a time.
4. Now ease the dough evenly into the prepared baking pan. Brush all over the top and sides with buttermilk and sprinkle generously with mixed seeds or flour, 2 tablespoons or so. Slice a few deep slashes across the top of the dough. Bake for about 30 minutes, then quickly (without letting all the hot air out of the oven), move the rack and the bread up a level, so the top of the bread gets nice and toasted. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until a hard crust forms and the bread is baked through. It will feel very solid and sound hollow when you knock on it. Carefully lift it out of the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.