Easy Soda Bread Recipe

By Lisa Holloway

Homemade bread in the morning is a wonderful addition to any breakfast, but sometimes running a Bed and Breakfast just doesn’t allow time for proving and kneading and nipping back to see if the dough has risen.

So here is an easy recipe for Soda Bread, which makes wonderful toast, slices beautifully for mopping up the egg and freezes like a dream.

I used to make 8 loaves at a time and always had some on hand to defrost overnight.

The number of times guests took the recipe home is legion, and in the old days I used to take a bit of my buttermilk plant to give away too.

Like all the best recipes, this is my Mother’s, and her first buttermilk plant was given to her by our Irish neighbour. Now you can buy cartons at the supermarkets which makes life easier.

Experiment until you find the mix of flour best for you, I hope you and your guests enjoy it as much as we do.

And don’t forget to make a wish before you pop it in the oven!

Recipe

This recipe makes two large loaves of soda bread.

It also makes wonderful toast and freezes beautifully, but as the bread has no preservatives it does not last longer than three days.

It’s a good idea to cut a loaf in two and freeze one half if you only need a few slices.

Ingredients

• Measure 900grams (total) of two types of flour. I use 450g of wholemeal flour and 450g of plain white flour, but you can use whatever mix of flour you prefer; seeded, more wholemeal than white, or all white.

• 2 and a half teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• Half a pint of buttermilk (3 x 284ml cartons) or enough to make a good, stiff mix, not too sloppy. If you don’t have enough buttermilk, add some runny yoghurt or a bit of milk

Methods

1. Put your flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and buttermilk into one big bowl

2. With your hands, mix everything together thoroughly until a good stiff mix

3. Sprinkle some white flour onto the work surface and gently knock the bread mix into one big, or two round loaves

4. Lay the loaves on the baking tray, cut a deep cross onto each loaf

5. MAKE A WISH! and put your loaves into the middle of the oven.

6. Cook in the oven for about 40-45 minutes. I swap them around half way through cooking to get them both evenly cooked

7. When you take them out, they should sound hollow when the bottom is knocked

8. Put a skewer into the middle and if it comes out clean the bread is done

9. If it’s not cooked in the middle, give it a bit longer, or turn the oven off and leave the bread in the oven for another 20 mins or so, to make sure it is cooked right through. No one wants a soggy middle!

10, Then, this is important, wrap each loaf in a tea towel to cool. This keeps it moist. Then keep in a plastic bag, or freeze