Classic Soda Bread
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- Easy
- Makes 1 Small Loaf
Ingredients
- 400g plain white flour
- 50g wheat germ*
- 50g quick oats*
- *Both are optional. They add a lovely texture to the bread, but if you don't have either one, just substitute the same amount in plain flour instead
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- About 380ml buttermilk
Method
- STEP 1Heat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- STEP 2Put the flour, wheat germ, oats, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a big mixing bowl and mix with a spoon. Make a well in the centre of the dry mix and add half your buttermilk. Using a round-bladed knife, fold the flour into the buttermilk. Continue adding the buttermilk little by little until all the flour has been soaked up. You may not need to use all of the buttermilk, it depends on the mix.
- STEP 3Put the wet dough on to a lightly floured surface and roughly shape it into a ball. The key at this stage is to work as fast as you can as the buttermilk has already started to react with the bicarbonate and the more you work the dough, the denser the load will be.
- STEP 4Put the dough on the prepared tray, cut the loaf into quarters, using a sharp knife to cut deep but not all the way to the bottom of the loaf and then dust the top with flour
- STEP 5Pop it into the oven for 30/35 minutes until the loaf is golden and crispy on top and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Leave to cool on a wire rack if you have one. This bread is best eaten on the day (ideally straight away with lashings of salty butter) or is yummy toasted the next day.
- STEP 6Once you are confident with the basic mix, you can add flavours to the soda bread. For Christmas I usually add some raw onion and freshly chopped sage, or for something a little more indulgent you can add fried pancetta (cooled with the fat drained), caramelised red onion and some goats cheese.
