Irish Soda Bread

Name: Irish Soda Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Ireland
Ingredients: 250 g (2 cups) whole-wheat flour, coarse stoneground if you can find it; 200 g (1⅔ cups) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting; 30 g (⅓ cup) rolled oats; 5 g (1 tsp) baking soda; 8 g (1¼ tsp) fine sea salt; 450 g (1¾ cups + 2 tbsp) buttermilk; 15 g (2 tsp) honey or dark syrup, optional

No yeast, no rise, in the oven within ten minutes

Makes: 1 round loaf (about 900 g)
Hands-on: 10 min
Total: 1 h 15 min
Level: Easy

A craggy, nutty, whole-wheat round leavened by baking soda and buttermilk, so it goes from bowl to oven in ten minutes. It is at its best warm with salted butter, or alongside a bowl of soup.

Ingredients

250 gwhole-wheat flour (2 cups)coarse stoneground if you can find it
200 gall-purpose flour (1⅔ cups)plus extra for dusting
30 grolled oats (⅓ cup)
5 gbaking soda (1 tsp)
8 gfine sea salt (1¼ tsp)
450 gbuttermilk (1¾ cups + 2 tbsp)
15 ghoney or dark syrup (2 tsp)optional

Diet: Vegetarian
Allergens: gluten, milk
Origin: Ireland

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and dust a baking sheet with flour.
In a large bowl, whisk both flours, the oats, baking soda and salt, breaking up any lumps of soda.
Stir the honey into the buttermilk, pour it into the bowl and mix quickly with a fork or one hand into a soft, sticky dough. Stop as soon as there is no dry flour.
Tip onto a floured counter and, with floured hands, shape into a round about 5 cm (2 in) high in 3–4 movements; don't knead. Put it on the sheet.
Cut a deep cross into the top, about halfway through, with a floured knife.
Bake 15 minutes, then reduce to 200°C (400°F) and bake 25–30 minutes more, until deep brown and the base sounds hollow when tapped (96°C, 205°F inside). 42 min
For a soft crust, wrap the hot loaf in a clean towel; for a crisp one, cool it uncovered on a rack. Rest at least 20 minutes before slicing. 20 min

Why it works

Baking soda reacts with the lactic acid in buttermilk to make carbon dioxide the moment they meet, so the dough has to go into the oven quickly while the gas is still being produced. Minimal handling keeps gluten weak, which gives a tender, crumbly texture. The deep cross lets heat reach the thick center so it bakes through evenly.

Common mistakes

Kneading. This is closer to a scone than a yeast bread; work it as little as possible.
Leaving the dough to sit before baking. The rise starts immediately.
Too much soda, which tastes soapy and turns the crumb yellow-green. Measure carefully.

Variations

White soda bread: Use 450 g all-purpose flour and skip the oats and honey; bake 35–40 minutes in total.
Seeded: Add 50 g mixed seeds to the dry ingredients and scatter more on top before baking.

Make ahead and storage

Best on the day; keeps 2 days wrapped. Toasts well. Freezes for 2 months.

Notes

Fan oven: 200°C (390°F), then 180°C (350°F). Not a yeast bread, so hydration is a guide only: about 100% buttermilk to flour by weight, which is why the dough is soft and sticky. No buttermilk: stir 20 ml lemon juice into 430 ml milk and rest 5 minutes. Like Skillet Cornbread it rises with baking soda and buttermilk, but it is a crusty whole-wheat loaf for slicing and buttering, not a tender, cake-like pan bread.