Soda bread is a traditional Irish wheat loaf, but we like to use rye or barley for ours. These flours don’t rise easily with yeast as wheat does but using a soda bread recipe works well to make a firm and tasty loaf. Soda bread is very quick to make and needs to be eaten fresh.
Ingredients
- 500g wholemeal Rye flour (or Barley flour for a variation)
- 1/2 tsp salt (adjust to your preference)
- 1/2 tsp caraway seeds (optional)
- 1 level tsp baking powder
- 300 ml warm water or milk or old yoghurt (about 40°C )
Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Keep scraping the dough off the spoon and mix it with the back of the spoon as it becomes more and more glue like! Form roughly into a loaf shape and tip onto a greased baking sheet and keep warm until you are ready to bake. Cook in a hot oven for about 20 mins., probably moving down to a cooler part for an additional few minutes extra depending on your oven. Tap the crust with your knuckle to get a hollow sound when it is done. Cool on a grid and eat quickly with cheese or marmalade!