Irish Soda Bread with Cultured Buttermilk   

Irish Soda Bread with Cultured Buttermilk 

Get ready for a delicious and easy-to-make bread that requires minimal prep time and cooks up quickly.

The secret ingredient? Homemade cultured buttermilk. It’s the magic sauce that elevates this loaf, with its lovely sour tangy effervescence.

Don’t have cultured buttermilk on hand? No worries! Milk kefir or plain yogurt make great substitutes.

Enjoy this Irish soda bread fresh out of the oven for the ultimate flavor experience. And if there are any leftovers, they’re perfect for toasting the next day.

Makes 1 loaf 

40 minutes total prep + cook time

Ingredients:

• 350g  plain white flour 
• 1½ teaspoons  salt
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 
• 285ml  cultured buttermilk 

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180C
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together thoroughly. 
3. Tip in the cultured buttermilk and stir to combine.
4. Keep stirring until the ingredients come together as a dough, then knead gently to form a ball.
5. Place the ball of dough on your baking tray and cut a deep cross in the centre. (This is really important as it helps the centre of the bread to cook properly – so cut nice and deep, almost to the bottom.)
6. If you wish, you can dust the loaf with a little flour, then place the bread in your preheated oven for 30 minutes.
7. Serve with cultured butter, soup, stew, salad, or cheese, olives and cold meats.