soda bread
rating:
450g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarb of soda
400ml buttermilk (use plain yogurt if you haven't got buttermilk)
preheat oven to 230C/450F/gas 8
sift flour, salt and bicarb into a bowl. Make a well, and add buttermilk.
using one hand, slowly incoporate the flour into the milk to give soft, but not sticky dough. (Or cheat - use a mixer with a dough hook :).
turn onto a floured board, and knead lightly for 1 minute until smooth. Shape to a round about 4cm high. Cut a deep cross from one edge to the other.
place on a floured baking tray and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 200C/400C/Gas 6, and bake for a further 30 minutes. To test if the bread is cooked, tap the underside of the loaf - if it sounds hollow, it's cooked.
cool on a wire rack, eat with good butter. Gorgeous.
