Soda bread, originally from Ireland, is the clever cook’s loaf which can be mixed, shaped and baked in less than an hour.
It is versatile and can be a great staple for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Serve with smoked salmon for a leisurely breakfast or with butter and jam as an afternoon treat.
1. Put flour, oats, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a bowl. Stir to combine and make a well in centre.
2. Add honey and buttermilk and stir to bring mix together. Add a splash of milk if needed, to form a soft dough.
3. Lightly flour work surface and tip dough out. Gently knead bread to bring it together into a round. Unlike yeasted dough, it’s important not to over-work it, or finished bread will have a heavy texture.
4. Put loaf on to a lightly floured baking sheet. Brush with a little milk and sprinkle over a few oats. Finally, cut a deep cross in top of dough.
5. Bake at 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6 for 30–35min, until bread is slightly risen and sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
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An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
