Soda bread

I really enjoyed watching the bread making episode of River Cottage Everyday. We have a bread-making machine that’s been languishing unused for years in the corner of our kitchen. But the soda bread that Hugh & Co. made seemed so simple, and looked so much more appetising than machine-made bread, that I thought I’d give it a go, although I had some strange idea that soda bread was heavy and sour.

The recipe I followed is here: http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/classic-soda-bread/ – I didn’t have quite enough buttermilk so I topped it up with cheap supermarket live yoghurt. I also used Sainsbury’s Basics plain flour, so the overall cost was very low.

It really does take under an hour to make a delicious loaf of bread. There’s hardly any kneading – a mere minute! No proving, no resting, no rising. And I can honestly say it gave me the most delicious bread and jam I have ever tasted. The kids loved it too.

It was so nice, sweet and light, I don’t think I’ll ever be buying another loaf of ‘artisanal’ bread again.

Next I think I’m going to have to try the Guinness, Apple and Cheese variety.