Gary Rhodes

Soda Bread

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Preparation info

  • Serves

    4

    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in

More Rhodes Around Britain

More Rhodes Around Britain

By Gary Rhodes

Published 1995

  • About

This is a recipe I tried in Ireland – another easy recipe with great results. The first time I ate soda bread, it was filled with bacon and fried egg with a big mug of tea for breakfast – it was lovely. So if you want to have a go at making your own bread for your next ‘full Irish/English’, follow this recipe.

If you can find traditional Irish self-raising soda bread flour, all you need to add is the salt and buttermilk, but this recipe will work just as well.

Ingredients

  • 350 g (12 oz) plain flour
  • 1 level tablespoon bicarbonate of soda
  • A good pinch of salt
  • 300 ml (10 fl oz) buttermilk

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt together and make a well in the centre. Pour in the buttermilk and mix gently to form a dough. Knead until smooth without overworking. Lightly dust the work surface with flour and roll out the dough to a circle about 2 cm (¾ in) thick. Cut the circle into quarters. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the pre-heated oven for 30–40 minutes until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped.

To cool and keep crispy, stand the bread on a wire rack. If you prefer a softer bread, wrap in a cloth to cool.