Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Preheat the oven to 250°C. Sieve all the dry ingredients into a bowl. Pour the buttermilk into a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, and gradually stir together from the inside working your way out to the edge of the bowl to form a soft dough. Place the dough on a well-floured surface and pat it into shape (loaf or round). Place in a lightly oiled loaf tin, or on a flat tin, and sprinkle on any optional toppings.

Bake in the oven for 15 mins at 250°C, then turn down to 200°C for 30 mins until cooked. To check if it is ready, tap the bottom of the bread. If it sounds hollow, it is ready! Remove from the tin and wrap in a clean tea towel while cooling. This will keep the crust soft. “Spotted dog” variation: For a variation, follow the recipe above adding: 1 tbsp. sugar, 100 g sultanas and 1 egg. Add the sugar and the sultanas with the flour and add the egg in with the milk.