IRISH SODA BREAD

An easy, rustic, no-need-for-yeast bread - perfect on its own with butter, or make into a meal with soup!

INGREDIENTS:

• 250g wholemeal flour
• 100g plain flour, plus 25g for dusting
  
• 50g porridge oats
  
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1 tsp honey or treacle
  
• 1 large egg
  
• 300ml buttermilk, or full fat Greek yoghurt, or full fat milk soured with 1 tbsp or lemon juice or vinegar
  

UTENSILS:

• 2 x mixing bowls
• 1 x mixing spoon
• 1 x whisk
• 1 x fork
• Baking sheet
  
• Blunt knife
  
• Wire rack
  

​​
METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celcius
2. Place the flours, oats, bicarb and salt in a bowl and mix
3. In a separate bowl whisk together the buttermilk/yoghurt, the egg and the honey
   
4. Stir the egg mix into the flour mix - use a fork 
5. When the dough starts to come together, use your hands to bring it together fully into a round.
   
6. Then lightly flour a baking sheet and place the round of dough on to the sheet 
7. Flatten it slightly into a disk of about 7cm thick
   
8. Cut a cross shape into the top of the dough with a blunt knife
9. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes (in a fan oven) or up to 50 minutes in a regular oven - until a crust has formed on the top, and the base sounds hollow when you tap it. 
10. Turn the finished bread onto a wire rack to cool
11. Serve warm, eat same day.