Instructions: Sift flour, salt, soda into bowl. Stir in whole wheat flour, blending. Rub in margarine lifting fingers high when mixing(4). Add buttermilk all at once, using fork. Add more, if needed, to make soft dough(5). Knead until smooth. Place on greased baking sheet; mark to deeply into four sections(6).

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes(7). Allow to go cold on rack before cutting(8). Serve with butter(9).

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Baking Time: 40 minutes

1 - I use almost a double teaspoon
2 - In a startling reversal, I use butter. Just not much margarine around here.

3 - This space intentionally left blank
4 - This is easier than it sounds, especially if you melt the margarine first. If its still solid, Im an advocate of the two-knife method.

5 - I always need much more, but its easy to gradually dribble in extra, while pressing in the remaining flour until the whole ball coheres. Still, the dough I usually get is rather stiff and under-hydrated, and the bread has a close (but not dense), pressed consistency, almost like cheap particle board.

6 - those markings are important, and fun. Since theres no pre-baking rise, you dont have to be as ginger as you do with yeast doughs. Take any old knife you like and go nuts.

7 - This is a rough estimate. Start checking early for a firm bottom, an inner temperature of )200 F, and use the exposed innards from the oven spring as your own window into the internal progress.

8 - You do want it a bit cool, but theres no reason to delay too long. 10-20 minutes will do it.

9 - Its also good with jam, powdered sugar, or just by its own self. And I like it even better slightly stale, although I think Im alone in that.

NOTES : Ive had great success with the following quick bread, whose recipe is presented here as I cribbed it off the internet (with my annotations). There is a distinct, unmistakable soda taste, and a crumb unique among crumbs (see below). You can bake this as one hemispheric boule or two smaller ones, and with any mix-ins your heart desires. Ive enjoyed it with caraway seeds (1 T.) and chopped black olives (1/2 cup, but it could have taken more if I were really determined). It meets all your criteria (as long as multi-grain means "more than one"). I suspect any number of ingredients could substitute for the dreaded margarine (which is really so minor I hesitate to pick on it) - prune puree would be consistent with the breads flavor and appearance, but might be too heavy. Perhaps applesauce?

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