Irish soda bread
Amy from the Information, Advice and Guidance team, has submitted her recipe for soda bread.
“Soda bread has been a firm favourite of mine since I can remember. It was one of the first things I ever learnt how to bake!
This isn’t a family recipe, but I have had this taste tested by my wonderful Irish Grandad who has confirmed it’s as authentic as it can be.
He always reminds me to make sure that I cut a cross in the top of the bread before I put it in the oven- it’s meant to let the fairies out & ward off evil (Or so the superstition says!).
Soda bread is delicious whether you have it cold, or still hot and fresh from the oven. For me, it tastes best with a good helping of butter, and served with soup or stew.“
This dish is adapted from a recipe from the “Traditional Irish cooking” recipe book by Darina Allen.
Allergen information:
This recipe contains dairy and wheat.
Dietary information:
This recipe is suitable for vegetarians but can be made suitable for vegans if a milk substitute is used.
Ingredients:
450g plain white flour (You may need another 50-100g or so depending on the consistency of your dough once everything is combined and also a little more for flouring your work surface)
1-2 level tsp salt
1 level tsp baking soda
350-400 ml of buttermilk to mix*
Equipment:
1 x Sieve
1 x Large mixing bowl
1 x Measuring jug
1 x Kitchen knife
1 x Sheet of greaseproof paper
1 x clean open space to knead your dough
1 x Wire cooling rack (This isn’t essential, but it may help the bread cool more effectively as the base has better ventilation)
Recipe tip:
*Buttermilk isn’t always very easy to find, but you can make your own at home by combining milk and lemon, or milk and vinegar. Add the same measurement of milk listed in the ingredients into a measuring cup or bowl, and add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar to the milk and leave it to sit for around 15 minutes or so in the fridge. After 15 minutes, you should see that the milk looks different. Don’t panic if it looks like it has separated, it just means that the acid you added has worked, and is ready to use!
You can also make this recipe with dairy free milk if you want to make a vegan soda bread, you may just need to use a little more lemon of vinegar.
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 230ºC/Gas Mark 8 and line your baking tray with the sheet of greaseproof paper.
- Sieve the dry ingredients into a large bowl and once all combined, make a well in the centre of the bowl.
- Pour 3/4 of the buttermilk into the well and then using one hand, bring the mixture together with your fingers. You will need to keep your fingers quite stiff, almost in a kind of claw shape to give your soda bread the right texture once baked. Mix the dough in a circular motion, from the centre of the bowl to the outside of the bowl, until everything has combined and you are left with a soft dough.
- The dough shouldn’t feel sticky or too wet. If it feels too dry, you can add a little bit of milk at a time, until you get the soft consistency needed. If it gets too wet, add a tablespoon of flour in at a time- but make sure not to add too much, or you’ll end up with a very heavy loaf!
- When it feels like it has all come together, turn your loaf out of the bowl onto a well-floured work surface. Make sure you wash your hands, before moving on to step six, as by this point your hands will be covered in bits of wet dough and that will make it difficult to shape your loaf properly .
- Once your hands are completely dry, add a little bit of flour to your hands and rub them together. This will help you when shaping your loaf. With your now floured hands, gently shape the loaf until it is round and flip over gently.
- Transfer this over to the lined baking tray. If the loaf has become misshapen once it’s been flipped and transferred, don’t worry! Just give it another quick reshape once it’s on the tray.
- Then, with a kitchen knife, cut a 4cm deep “X” shape across the top of the bread- this helps you make sure to let all the fairies out, as is Irish tradition!
- Bake your loaf at 230ºC for 15 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 200ºC/Gas Mark 6 for 30 minutes or until cooked. If you’re not sure if your bread is fully cooked, take the loaf out of the oven and tap the bottom of the bread. If it’s ready to come out and rest, it will sound hollow. If it doesn’t sound hollow, pop it back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes at a time.
- Once you’re happy that your loaf is full baked, remove the bread from the oven and leave it to cool on a wire rack.
- Leave the loaf for at least 10 minutes to allow it to cool. Soda bread is delicious when it’s still nice and hot, but it will need a little bit of time to cool so the texture isn’t affected.