This is a rustic looking loaf with a lovely nutty flavour! I love this bread because it's so quick, easy and no 'faffing'. You don't need to knead or prove this dough as soda bread relies on the chemical reaction between tangy buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda for its lovely light texture.
Makes 2 Large Loaves
Ingredients:
500g Plain White Flour
500g Plain Wholemeal Flour
2 Teaspoons of Salt
2 Teaspoons Bicarbonate of Soda
Approximately 800ml Buttermilk
2 Baking Sheets, dusted with flour.
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 200 C/400 F/Gas 6. Put both the flours into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and bicarbonate of soda and mix well (in the original recipe it says with your hand but I just do it with a spoon!). Make a well in the centre and pour in half the buttermilk. Using your fingers or a round-bladed knife, gradually draw the flour into the buttermilk, then add more buttermilk as needed to make a soft, sticky dough - flours may vary so you may not need all the buttermilk.
2. At this point you can add some flavourings i.e herbs, chilli flakes or in my case I added grated cheese to one if mine. I folded a little into the dough and then sprinkled some more on top before baking. It is important not to delay once the dough has been mixed. So lightly flour the worktop and turn out the dough. Divide it in half and shape each piece into a ball. Flatten the balls slightly with the palm of your hand.
3. Set each loaf on a baking sheet and quickly cut a large, deep cross in the dough (almost but not quite through to the base) with a large sharp knife - this allows the bread to cook through the centre. Dust the tops of the loaves with flour, the bake immediately in the heated oven for about 40-50 minutes (swap shelves half way through) until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the underside.
4. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool. Eat the same day, or have it toasted the following day.
NB: When separating the dough, try dividing it into 12 balls to make 12 rolls. These won't take so long to cook check them between 25-35 minutes
