Irish Soda Bread
Soda bread is a variety of quick bread traditionally made in a variety of cuisines in which sodium bicarbonate is used as a leavening agent instead of the traditional yeast.
Makes one loaf Download recipe
Ingredients
450 grams plain flour or spelt flour or light rye flour
400 millilitres buttermilk or milk soured with a tablespoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoon fennel seeds
Method
Mix together the flour, bread soda, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Then make a well in the middle and pour in the liquid gradually, mixing with your hand in a claw shape. Don’t add the liquid all at once, and stop adding it when the mixture is soft but not sloppy.
Turn out the bread onto a floured work surface and shape it into a rough round. Pat down the round until it’s around 2 centimetres thick, then cut a deep cross into the surface with a sharp knife and put it onto a floured baking tray.
Bake at 220C for around 15 minutes, then turn down to 180 celsius for 30 minutes more. Tap the base after 30 minutes at 180 celsius – it will sound hollow when it’s done.
Leave to cool and then slice and enjoy.
Recipe provided by Hubbub’s own Aoife Allen.
