Soda bread is great. It’s quick, it’s easy and it’s tasty. This recipe will give you two lovely loaves in under an hour.

Makes: Two medium loaves

Time: 25 min. prep then about 25 min. baking.

Level: Easy

Equipment: A large baking tray or two medium

Ingredients

500g/1lb 2oz plain white flour
10g salt
20g bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground paprika (optional)
1 tsp mustard powder (also optional)
100g – 125g (3½ – 4½oz) hard cheese, grated (e.g. Cheddar, Red Leicester)
100g – 125g (3½ – 4½oz) finely chopped chorizo (I use ready diced)
60g/2oz melted butter
300ml – 350ml (10 – 12fl oz) buttermilk*

*If you don’t have any buttermilk then add lemon juice to milk and leave it to stand for five minutes then stir and use. Use semi-skimmed or full fat milk at this ratio: 250ml to 1 tbsp lemon juice (or white wine vinegar.)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C / fan 200°C / 425°F / Gas 7. Put the baking tray(s) into the oven to heat up.

2. Put the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl and mix well. (If using paprika and mustard powder, stir them in now.)

3. Chop the chorizo if necessary. Stir most of the cheese & chorizo into the flour mixture. (Reserve enough to scatter on top of the two loaves.)

4. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture then tip in the melted butter and most of the buttermilk and mix well, scraping down the sides to incorporate all the flour. (Add the rest of the buttermilk if the mixture seems dry. You want a soft, pliable dough, neither dry nor sloppy.)

5. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. You hardly need to knead it, just bring it together with a few firm squeezes.

6. Separate the dough into two balls, shape into rounds. Place them on separate pieces of parchment and flatten a little. Cut a deep cross into each piece. Carefully lift them onto the hot trays.

7. Bake for about 25 minutes, then quickly take them out and sprinkle over the reserved cheese and chorizo. (Try to cover the chorizo with the cheese as it will easily burn) Put them back in the oven for about 5 – 7 minutes.

8. When you think they’re done, tap them wherever you can without burning your fingers on the melted cheese. A hollow sound means they’re done. Cool on a wire rack etcetera – all the normal post-bake stuff.

I wish you every success with your bread making. I hope you have a go at this one and enjoy making and eating these lovely loaves. If you want to see more of my bread recipes click this link.

Here are some quite different breads that you might want to try:

Garlic Boxty Bread