A reader told me my characters are
always eating soda bread so she asked
how to make it.
So I’ll tell you!
Firstly, greetings from the cottage. Autumn is on the way but the sun is still shining in between some fairly dramatic storms last week.
I’m writing furiously, Erich’s story is almost finished first draft, and I’m very interested to see how it turns out. So far I’ve been quite surprised! It’s taken some very unexpected turns, but there’s a bit to do before you all get to go back to Ballycreggan. I’m hoping before Christmas though.
In other news my new release Kayla’s Trick, is flying high and people seem to love it, which is equal measure gratifying and a relief 
Everyone is happy to have Conor back, including me!
Now. to the soda bread! I do write about it a lot I suppose, it’s kind of an unconscious thing for me, like making it every day at home. I make a loaf most evenings, because, like a lot of home made things, it doesn’t really last past a day or two. It takes around six minutes from start to finish to put together, and around 35 mins in the oven. My reader pointed out how she could almost smell it coming out of the oven, creamy butter melting in, be it Elizabeth’s, or Robinswood, or Dunderrig, or Mrs Kearns in Dublin!
Everyone’s recipe varies I suppose, but this is what my family like.
(I don’t really measure but I did this morning so I could tell you the amounts, but I was taught to bake by my gran when I was small, who baked more with a bit of this and a bit of that – but in the interests of accuracy I got the scales out – see how much I love you guys?)
So, you can either bake it on a tray in a round, or in a loaf tin, I use a loaf tin because the slices are easier for school lunches etc, but it doesn’t matter really. If you bake it in a round, cut into it in the shape of a cross, around an inch down, as per the picture above.
So you will need,
1 lb of course brown flour (the courser the better)
1/2 Lb of white flour (either plain or self-raising – I use whatever I have)
1/4 cup of porridge (any oats will do, and this too is optional )
1 teaspoon of bread soda
1 tablespoon of treacle (molasses) but this is optional, you could use a tablespoon of brown sugar or leave it out altogether – up to you.
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
Buttermilk (roughly half a pint but depending on your flour you might need a little more – the mixture should be wet but not sticky – you don’t knead it or anything like that.
Ok – so mix together the flours, bread soda, salt and porridge.
Add the eggs, sugar or treacle, and buttermilk
Stir the whole lot together, that’s it.
Either grease your loaf tin (or buy those baking paper liners), or flour your baking tray for a round flat loaf.
Empty the mixture into the tin, smooth it out on top with a wet spoon. It will raise a little but not as much as yeast bread.
You can add a few seeds on top if you like.
Pop in the oven at 180′ Centigrade 360′ (I think – we use centigrade)
Bake for 35-40 minutes – when you turn it out you’ll know its done by knocking the base with your knuckles – it should sound hollow.
If you like it crusty just allow to cool on a wire rack, but if you prefer the crust softer, wrap in a damp tea-towel for 15 mins when it comes out.
Serve with real butter, jam, marmalade, cheese, whatever you like. You could use this recipe to make brown scones if you wish.
Enjoy it!
Le grá agus buiochas,
Jean xxx