Baking
Soda Bread
Serves 1 loaf
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cooking TIme
30 minutes, plus cooling
Ingredients
- A little Kerrygold Pure Irish Salted Butter
- 200g (7oz) plain white flour, plus extra, for sprinkling
- 300g (11oz) plain wholemeal flour
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 500ml (16fl oz) buttermilk
- For spreading Kerrygold Pure Irish Salted Butter
To serve (optional)
- Smoked salmon
- Dill sprigs, to garnish
Directions
The stuff of legends, ciabatta or panettone can’t touch traditional Irish soda bread. Sweet or savoury, it’s heavenly with butter and homemade raspberry jam or smoked salmon and dill.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan oven 180°C, Gas Mark 7. Lightly grease a baking sheet with a little softened Kerrygold butter, then sprinkle some plain flour on top.
- Mix the plain flour, wholemeal flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda together in a large bowl.
- Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk, then mix together with your hands to form a soft dough.
- Sprinkle a little flour onto a clean surface and knead the dough lightly for 1 minute, just to pull the mixture together. Unlike ordinary bread, it’s essential not to overwork the dough.
- Put the round dough ball onto the prepared baking sheet, generously dust with flour and cut a deep cross into the top. Pop in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.
- If you prefer a soft crust to a crusty crust, wrap the hot loaf in a tea towel. Otherwise cool on a wire rack.
- Cut in thin slices or chunky slabs and spread with Kerrygold butter. Serve, topped with smoked salmon and dill.
