Irish soda bread with raisins
Irish soda bread with raisins
Soda bread is the easiest bread to make and requires not yeast, kneading or proving. The ingredients get mixed together by hand in a bowl and is ready to bake straight away. The raisins give it a sweet edge and this bread is best eaten on the same day and preferably warm out the oven.
Recipe – make one loaf
300g all-purpose flour
200g whole wheat or nutty wheat flour
11/2 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking soda/bicarbonate of soda
1 cup of raisins and sultanas
420ml buttermilk
1 egg beaten to coat the top (optional)
You can make this by hand. Place all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix to combine. Add the buttermilk and very quickly mix to incorporate. Do not over mix.
Tip out on a floured surface and bring the dough into a round ball. Flatten this slightly and cut 4 slits around the sides – about 1/4 of the way into the dough.
Lift the dough onto a lined baking sheet and bake in an oven that has been preheated to 200C for 45 – 50 minutes. It is done when it is browned on the outside and gives a hollow sound when tapped. You could also test by piercing with a sharp knife.
* To prevent over browning, loosely cover the loaf with a piece of tin foil from about halfway through the baking time.