Our Recipe for March

Hi everyone,

We've gotten over the pancake disaster/extravaganza from last month and decide to move onwards and upwards. One of the biggest events in our calendar for the year is St Patrick's Day. This month we will be looking at traditional Irish recipes and events that are taking place in the UK and Ireland.

From our recipe calendar for March we selected Irish Soda Bread. Now people think this is really hard to make and not worth it but trust me our recipe is quick, easy, doesn't require a lot of work and the taste is well worth it in the end. Here is our fool-proof recipe!

Ingredients:

250g Wholemeal Bread Flour

250g Strong White Bread Flour

1tsp Salt

1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

420ml Buttermilk

Method:

1. Put both flours into a large bowl. Add the bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix together. Add the buttermilk and mix with one hand or a wooden spoon to form a sticky dough.

2. Flour a work surface and tip the dough onto it. Gently roll and fold the dough for a minute or so to bring it together but don't knead it. Shape the dough into a ball by turning it around repeatedly on the surface between your cupped hands. Flatten the ball gently with your hands.

3. Place the loaf on a baking tray (lined with baking parchment). Using a knife, cut a slit down and across the dough (like the sign of the cross) to give the bread its traditional shape (this also helps the dough to cook well).

4. Set the loaf aside for 30 minutes to allow the bicarbonate of soda to start its process.

5. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes (but check after 30 minutes) at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. This timing is down to you depending on your oven. Both soda breads that I made recently took 35 minutes each to cook.

6. To see if it's ready, turn it over onto a tea towel in one hand and with the other gently knock on the back of the soda bread to see if it's hollow. The other technique I use, is to use a clean, metal skewer and to gently poke it through the slits and if it come up clear it's ready. If it doesn't it needs a little longer in the oven.

7. Once ready and cooled (on a cooling rack), serve either toasted with butter on or serve with butter on and enjoy!