In cooking for postpartum I focus on nourishment, ease (of cooking and eating!) and also comfort.
Many of the new families I work with in London are far from their home places, so it’s lovely to take the opportunity to cook something that reminds the family of home, offers the comfort of what they ate growing up, and builds a sense of connection with their ancestors and the rite of passage are going through.
You can take great strength from knowing that you are doing something your mother, grandmother and a long line of formidable women before you have done. For many it feels right to nourish yourself with cultural foods and connect with your lineage in this way.
So here’s my little nod to the Irish Granny and her ubiquitous loaf of soda bread.
This recipe makes 3 loaves and freezes brilliantly, so it’s great if you’re in “cooking ahead” mode. I like to slice it the day after baking, when it’s less crumbly, then wrap the sliced loaf and freeze, so that slices can be grabbed and defrosted in the toaster for the food emergencies of the early postpartum.
Have a think about protein rich toppings to have ordered or in your store cupboard and you can easily make this into a nutritionally complete meal.
I suggest adding the unctuous raw milk cheeses you may have avoided in pregnancy as a great boost to your microbiome. Liver paté for restoring iron. Mackerel paté which is full of omegas and healthy fats. Don’t forget, nut butters are packed with magnesium, potassium and zinc, nutrients that can become depleted in pregnancy and birth.
Ingredients
675 g brown wholemeal flour (stoneground for texture if you can get your hands on it)
450 g white flour
30 g fine oatmeal
50 g muscavado sugar of treacle
100 g omega seed mix (plus more for sprinkling on top)
1 egg
30 g butter
10 g sea salt
10 g bread soda, sieved
100 g almonds approx
50 g chopped dried fruit per loaf (optional)
2 pints approx sour milk or buttermilk (if you wish you can sub part of the liquid for stout such as Guinness, but make sure you keep at least a pint of buttermilk or it will affect the rise of your bread)
Preheat the oven to 230°C. Line your loaf tins.
Mix the dry ingredients (except the almonds and perhaps fruit) together. Rub/grate in the butter. Make a well in the centre and add the beaten egg, then immediately add most of the sour milk or buttermilk. Working from the centre, mix with a big metal spoon adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be soft with a heavy dropping consistency. Spoon evenly into lined loaf tins.
I like to measure out two loaves and then add dried fruit to the third which is great for adding extra calories, sweetness and fibre to postpartum mothers and parent’s diet.
Top with nuts and seeds.
Bake in a hot oven 230°C about 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200°C approx. 30 minutes, or until the bread is cooked and sounds hollow.
I know not every home kitchen has 6 loaf tins available, but one of my little tricks that I inherited from my granny was to put a second loaf tin lid on top of the bread for the initial high temp. 20 mins. This really supports an even rise and a good crust formation.
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