This Irish soda bread is easy to make, ready within an hour and needs no kneading whatsoever. Great for soaking up the rich gravy juice from the stout stew or that of the pasta. Make sure you eat it on the day you make it – disappointingly hard the next.
This recipe serves up to 6 people.
It takes 10 minutes to prepare and between 30 and 35 minutes to cook.
Ingredients
100g Flahavan’s Irish Porridge Oats and a few for sprinkling on the top
250g Neill’s soda bread flour (or plain flour)
250g Neill’s coarse wholemeal flour (or wholemeal flour)
Pinch of Salt
Cold water to sprinkle on top of the loaf before it’s baked
25g butter cut into chunks
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
500ml Avonmore buttermilk
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C and dust a baking sheet with flour. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then rub in the butter. Make a well in the centre of the bowl and then pour in the buttermilk and mix it in quickly with a fork. Bring the dough together very lightly with your fingertips and be sure not to overwork. Shape it into a flat, round loaf measuring around 20cms wide. Put the bread on the baking sheet and make a deep cross in the top. Glaze with water and add a few oats on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the base of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. If it sound more like a dull thud, turn it upside down and bake for a few minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack, cover with a clean tea towel to keep the crust soft.
