Irish Soda Bread Recipe, from The Realfood Cookbook

 
Usher in St Patrick’s Day with a slice of this wholesome Irish Soda Bread – toasted and slathered with butter and honey – for breakfast, courtesy of the Flour Power City Bakery. The buttermilk, or yoghurt, used to make this crumbly loaf with a dense crust, adds just enough fermentation to the dough to really make the bicarbonate do its thing, but hence the slightly ‘cakey’ as opposed to bready texture of the finished loaf. Easy and effortless, this is a good honest loaf of bread that anybody can make!
 

Soda Bread

 
Makes 1 small loaf
 
125g/4½oz/scant 1 cup wholemeal flour, plus extra for dusting
125g/4½oz/1 cup strong white flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200ml/7fl oz/scant 1 cup buttermilk (natural yogurt is a good alternative)
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp black treacle

1 Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6. Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, honey and treacle and bring together as a homogenous mix, taking care to mix as little as possible.
2 Place on a very lightly oiled baking sheet and dust lightly with wholemeal flour. Cut a cross on the top.
3 Bake for about 30 minutes until brown and crisp on the outside but still soft on the inside. The delicious aromas from the oven are the best way to know when things are ready.
 

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