Soda Bread

It is quite a time since I made Soda Bread and it is quite a quick and tasty bread to make. The recipe varies depending upon tradition and needs, but it is basically 500g flour, 2 teaspoons of Bicarbonate of Soda, a little salt, a small amount of butter or margarine and 350ml of Buttermilk. Mix the dry ingredients, rubbing in the butter,  and add the buttermilk, mix quickly by hand and shape into two round loaves. Cut a cross deeply into the top of the dough and bake at 190 degrees Celsius for about 25-30 minutes.

Set the oven to 190 degrees.  I used 300g of strong white flour, 150g of Spelt wholemeal flour and 100g of 00 pasta flour. Adding 2 teaspoons of Bicarb and 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar with a quarter of a teaspoon of salt which is mixed in with a whisk.  40g of margarine was rubbed into the mix to give a fine crumby texture. and 10g of caster sugar was added and mixed in.  When adding the buttermilk (350g) the mix needs to be done swiftly by hand and not overworked.

Shape into two round loaves and deeply cut a cross on top.  This makes breaking the bread easy.  The dough can be brushed with water and buttermilk before putting it straight into the hot oven.
30 minutes later I had two warm loaves.  Soda bread can be eaten straight out of the oven, though it is best eaten slightly warm after about 30 minutes cooling.

What could be nicer for a light tea in Autumn than a freshly baked chunk of Soda Bread covered in butter and home made gooseberry jam with a warming cup of fruit tea.