Rustic Soda Bread
Soda bread I believe really is an underestimated loaf, as it is so easy, delicious and quick to make (so much quicker than any yeast based product). Traditional recipes always say use buttermilk as the liquid to combine the dough together, but I find this commodity not always easy to buy in the supermarket or your local dairy, so rather than be put off I encourage you to make your own. Truly it is so easy, as all you need is fresh milk and lemon juice, which curdle slightly when mixed together in the right quantity giving ‘homemade’ buttermilk!
This bread is 100% yeast free and is delicious eaten fresh, warm from the oven, however, is equally as good toasted the next day for breakfast.
If you seeking a lighter in texture soda bread, try a Light Brown Soda Bread – click the link for the recipe
Happy Baking.
Ingredients
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500g wholemeal flour
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1 tsp sea salt
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1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
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Homemade Buttermilk
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400ml whole milk
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1 lemon- juice only
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2 tsp honey- runny
Instructions
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01 Mix together the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl.
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Make buttermilk:
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02 In a separate bowl mix together the milk and lemon juice, and wait for a minute as it magically turns into buttermilk. Then stir in the honey, and simply pour it into the flour mixture. Stir with two flat bladed knives for a minute or two, until the whole mixture comes together to form a sticky dough.
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03 Tip onto a floured work surface and shape it into a round or oval shape.
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04 Lift the raw soda bread onto a floured baking tray or a try lined with baking paper and using a sharp knife, make a deep cross on the top.
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Bake:
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05 Place the bread in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or so until firm to the touch.
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06 Cool on a wire rack until warm, then slice and serve or allow to become cold, and enjoy.
Notes
I recommend to use a quality wholemeal flour for this recipe, and perhaps add some chopped herbs such as rosemary for a change but to be honest I am not sure this delicious bread needs much added to it other than the ingredients above. No need to sieve the flour to make this bread but if you do just make sure you add all the bran flakes left behind in the sieve, these flakes are important to the texture and flavour of the end result.
