Bread making is not my forte. I keep failing again and again when making bread. To master a bread recipe it takes time, technique, precise measuring, kneading and lots of trial and error and for this you must have a lot of patience. I have also heard from many bakers that you also need a lot of love when making your bread, but I just feel like pulling my hair and screaming as loud as I can when I have followed a recipe thoroughly and it fails.
I honestly think that bread making is an art which for some people comes naturally and for others like me it takes a lot of practice to do it properly and bake great bread.
While visiting Ireland I came across again and again with their wonderful Irish soda bread and Bingo! I found a Soda bread recipe that is tasty, moist and one that never fails, this I can promise. I would like to share it with those of you who, like me, would like to make one perfect loaf of bread at least once in their life time.
Ingredients
- 20 grams soft butter (room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons of golden syrup
- 225 grams plain flour
- 225 grams plain wholemeal flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 400 ml of buttermilk
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Put both flours in a large bowl with the soda, salt, and salt.
- Add the butter and rub it with your hands.
- Add the golden syrup and pour in the butter milk, and briefly mix all the ingredients , again with your hands. The dough should be soft and sticky.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and shape it into a round ball.
- Then place it onto a baking sheet and cut deeply across on the top of the bread with a knife.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until risen and golden brown. Tap the base of the loaf to see if it is cooked. It should sound hollow.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool and serve with your favourite butter.
Tips
- You can put a little bit of white flour on top of the loaf before baking it.
- Wrapped well it will keep for a few days.
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