Do you love bread? I love bread. I really love bread. Because I am perfectly capable of eating an entire loaf of granary in a single sitting, we don’t really have much bread in the house. Mostly because I eat it before it’s barely been unpacked.
The problem is, when I do really crave a doughy hit, there’s never any around. This is where soda bread comes riding over the hill to the rescue. Heavy, delicious, quick to make and very, very moorish.
There’s no rising to speak of, not much kneading, all you need is some flour, some sour milk, baking powder, a wee bit o’ fat and 40 minutes or so in a hot oven.
And while there is nothing, nothing, like a proper freshly baked loaf of bread, this isn’t far off. Somewhere between a giant muffin and solid loaf, this is made for open sandwiches, accompanying soup or simply to be consumed with some perfectly oozing brie. Guess which one I went for. Sometimes the simple pleasures are the best.
The bread
Makes loaf enough for four
The thing abut soda bread is that it goes stale. Quickly. You just have to eat it as fast you can – preferably within 24 hours. Have a few slices lightly toasted with a little butter on top. An unctuous feast indeed.
250g plain flour + some for dusting and kneading
250g wholemeal flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
300ml butter milk (or regular whole milk soured with lemon)
30g unsalted butter
Heat the oven to 200oC. Sieve the flours, soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Cube the butter and rub it into the flour until it is totally absorbed.
Make a well in the centre of the flour mix and pour in the butter milk. Use a wooden spoon to stir it gently into a flaky dough. Finish the job with your hands if you need to.
Tip out on to a clean floured work surface and knead until smooth – about 3 minutes or so. Shape into a thick disk about 5cm deep and 15cm across.
Score a deep cross into the middle, dust with flour and bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes. It’s done when the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it.
Leave to cool on a wire rack and eat within a day or two.
Every time I make soda bread, something goes wrong. For a supposedly quick alternative to yeast breads, I find it very tricksy. Will have to give your recipe and go, because I will triumph over soda bread eventually.
I adore soda bread and it’s one of those things that’s been on my to do list for ages. Glad to see reading here that it sounds very straight forward so I must give myself a kick up the behind and get to it. I could do with some of that in the house this morning, very envious!
I hate bread. We can no longer be friends.
Sorry, bad joke – please forgive me.
But it’s true that whilst I love the smell of bread, I don’t really like it.
I don’t know what’s wrong with me.
@ginandcrumpets – this hasn’t gone wrong for me yet and i’m a pretty unscientific baker too. If you make it, do let me know how it goes. At some point in the future i’ll blog a corn bread recipe as i’m a big fan of that too.
@Sarah – yes! I agree, it is lovely. Particularly when it is fresh out of the oven – there’s something so wonderfully cakey about it. And it’s one of those things that really goes very well indeed with soup, open sandwiches etc.
@meemalee – no forgiveness needed, i’ll just put in that strange and frightening box with people who don’t like rice and those who hate potatoes (I’ve met both), y’know, the sort of people used to think were ‘touched by the gods’
How interesting though – i’ve never met someone who doesn’t like bread. I understand re the smell taste thing however, i used to be the same with coffee – now i like taste, smell and effect
I love bread and there’s something deeply satisfying about soda bread, especially how quick it is to make. Must post the recipe I use, it’s one of the staples I hadn’t thought to blog!
@Kavey – totally agree – it is satisfying. Weirdly it feels kind of decadent to sit eating large hunks of warm bread fresh out of the oven. Decadent and oh so satisfying.
I fell in love with wheaten bread (soda bread with wholemeal flour) in Beflast recently. It’s really really good! Esp. when oozing with looooads of butter!
I didn’t know that’s what wheaten bread is – you learn a new thing… You are right re the buttery oozing – so long as it’s warm and the butter is melting.
Oooooh! Soda bread. Delicious. Love it with smoked salmon and cucumber pickle.o
@Niamh – Yes! I agree – it’s a bit like rye bread in that it really suites open sarnies and strong flavours