Jason O'Mara's Irish Soda Bread

By MJH

A mix of flours adds texture to an Irish Soda Bread that you will want to make again and again. This is a basic bread with simple ingredients.

Ingredients

• 2 cups white flour
• 2 cups wholemeal flour ('Irish Style' flour- may require some shopping around; or use whole wheat flour)
• 1 Tbsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• Optional: 1 tsp salt and/or sugar

Details

Servings 1
Preparation time 5mins
Cooking time 65mins
Adapted from dashrecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place both flours and baking soda into a mixing bowl and stir it up.

Make a crater in the middle and pour in half the buttermilk.

Using your hands (flour them first), turn the mixture over and gather it into a dough.

Add the rest of the buttermilk and begin to knead the dough into a round cake-like shape.

Don't over-knead and don't take too long over it.

Place on a wooden cutting board and cut a large 'x' into the top surface.

Place into pre-heated oven on a baking sheet for about 30-35 minutes.

When done, the bread should appear browned on top and the loaf should sound 'hollow' when you tap the bottom of it with your knuckle.

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

To keep in moisture, keep covered with a cotton dish towel.

Consider placing the loaf in a sealed plastic bag overnight to keep it fresh.