Soda Bread

Nothing beats freshly baked bread but you don't always have the time to make it. I know the actual mixing / kneeding process doesn't take that much time but waiting for it to prove take a chunk of time you may not have, especially if you are trying to make some on a day when you need to go out / to work etc.

The solution: Soda bread as you are not waiting for for the yeast to do it's thing. The bicarbonate acts as the rising agent.

This is one I made a couple of weeks ago. There are loads of soda bread recipes out there and they all appear to be essentially the same in terms of the ratio of ingredients. All I have done here is scale them up to the volume of buttermilk I had and then exchanged some of the flour for oats. The oats gave it a nice oaty flavour but I don't think they absorbed as much of the liquid as the flour would. Might well play about with the ratio a little next time I make it.

Making it couldn't be easier. Take a large bowel, mix all the dry ingredients well and then stir in the buttermilk making sure it is all combined well. Take the resultant dough and shape it into a rough flattened ball and place on a baking sheet. Make a large cross on top of the loaf and place in the oven. 200C for ~ 40 minutes.

Especially good still warm with some good cheddar...

Ingredients:
560mls buttermilk
260grams white flour
260 grams wholemeal flour
100grams porridge oats
1tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda