Good Housekeeping

The perfect soda bread

Soda bread, originally from Ireland, is the clever cook’s loaf which can be mixed, shaped and baked in less than an hour. Serve with smoked salmon for a leisurely breakfast or with butter and jam as an afternoon treat.

By The Good Housekeeping Cookery TeamPublished: 04 May 2007

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Serving notes: Makes 1 loaf, which cuts into 12 slices

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Yields:

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cook Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

40 mins

Cal/Serv:

145

Ingredients

350 g
(12oz) plain wholemeal flour, plus extra to dust
125 g
(4oz) oatmeal
2 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 level tsp salt
1 tsp.
runny honey
284 ml
carton buttermilk
3 Tbsp.
milk, plus extra to brush

Directions

1. Step 1
  Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Put the wholemeal flour, oatmeal, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a bowl. Mix well to combine.
2. Step 2
  Make a well in the centre. Add the honey and buttermilk, then, using a wooden spoon, gradually beat together, adding enough ordinary milk to form a soft dough. Lightly flour a clean work surface and tip the dough out on to it.
3. Step 3
  Shape the dough into a 15cm (6in) round. Unlike yeasted dough, it's important not to over-work it, or the finished bread will have a heavy texture. Put the loaf on to a lightly floured baking sheet. Cut a deep cross in the top of the dough and brush with a little milk.
4. Step 4
  Bake for 30-35min until the bread is slightly risen and sounds hollow when you tap it underneath. Cool on a wire rack, slice and eat the same day.

For buttermilk

If you can't find buttermilk, use the same quantity of natural yogurt instead. Alternatively, stir 1tbsp lemon juice into 275ml (9fl oz) skimmed milk and leave for 10min before using.

Per Serving:

Calories: 145
Total carbs: 28 g
Total fat: 2 g

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The Good Housekeeping Cookery Team

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”!).

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