GUEST RECIPE - IRISH SODA BREAD

one of the things i miss most about Ireland is the food connection. by this i mean certain foods make me miss certain people or places the most and when it comes to freshly baked bread then it my mother that comes to mind. she bakes these huge round loaves of soda bread that were made to share and if you happened to be there on the day then you were sure to take a huge chunk home.  i am not a fantastic cook but i try to make baking bread part of my daily routine. I believe that there is nothing nicer than eating a slice of your very own homemade bread.

today's guest recipe comes from an Irish food blogger who knows a thing or two about providing wholesome family meals on a small budget. lucky for us Caitriona from 'Wholesome Ireland' is sharing her recipe for Irish Soda Bread......

"there are literally thousands of different recipes to make traditional Irish brown soda bread. they are all agreed that you need baking soda and buttermilk though. growing up this was a staple in the house as it's quick to make and requires no proving, handy in our cold climate. best served with lashings of Irish butter and fruit jam or homemade marmalade" - Caitriona 

INGREDIENTS
100g strong white flour
100g coarse wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
25g salted butter, softened
100ml buttermilk
Extra buttermilk for dabbing on top & some seeds of your choice.

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celcius and line a baking tray.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda & butter until you get small breadcrumbs.
Pour in the buttermilk and loosely mix until it all comes together in a dough. If it's a little dry add a small amount of water.
Once you have a loose dough, shape into a round with your hands. Put the dough lightly onto a baking tray and using a sharp knife, cut a deep cross into the bread but don't cut through the whole way. Brush the top of the bread with extra buttermilk and sprinkle with seeds of your choice.
Bake for approximately 35 minutes. Turn off the oven, remove the bread from the tray and wrap in a damp tea towel then return it to the warm oven to cool. This gives you a soft crust. If you like a hard crust then leave to cool on a rack with no damp tea towel.



thanks for bringing back some wonderful memories Caitriona x