Soda Bread….a taste of Ireland for Paddy’s Day

Making soda bread is about the closest I can get to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this year with lockdowns and travel restrictions in place both in Ireland and Italy! So I hope you enjoy this little taste of Ireland and Beannachtai’ na Feile Padraig oraibh 🙂

• 450gr plain flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon bread soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• about 350ml buttermilk*

*I can’t get buttermilk in Italy so I made my own by mixing 230 ml of milk with 115 ml natural yoghurt and a good teaspoon of lemon juice.

Sieve the dry ingredients. Pour in the buttermilk and mix with a wooden spoon. When the ingredients are more or less amalgamated you can knead the mixture to gather up any loose flour in the bowl. Add another drop of milk or water if it looks too dry. When all the flour has been incorporated turn the mixture onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes until it becomes ‘elastic’. The put a dusting of flour onto a baking tray, shape the mixture into a round and cut a cross in the top. Bake at 190°/200° for 40 minutes until the bread has formed a nice crust and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.