2cups(260g) all-purpose white flour (plain white flour) plus extra for rolling
1tbspsugar
1tspbaking soda(bicarbonate of soda)
1tspsalt
¾cup(180 ml) whole milk (see notes)
1tbspwhite or red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1tsplemon juice
Butter for greasing
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375F / 190C. Grease a heavy baking sheet with a little butter or dust with flour.
Mix the milk with the vinegar and lemon juice. Stir well and set aside for 10 minutes. The milk will thicken and look a bit curdled - this is what we want!
Put the flour, baking soda, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and use a balloon whisk to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
Add the soured milk to the bowl.
Use a wooden spoon to gently mix the wet and dry ingredients until you have a shaggy, sticky dough. Don’t overwork the dough, just mix it enough so that it comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work top and use your hands to quickly shape it into a round loaf.
Put the loaf on the prepared baking sheet and pat it down slightly to flatten.
Use a sharp knife to make a cross deep in the top of your loaf. This helps your bread to cook evenly so do not skip this step!
Bake in the center of the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the bread is golden and the bottom sounds hollow if tapped.
Transfer the bread to a wire rack and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
CAN I MAKE VEGAN SODA BREAD? Yes, simply replace the milk with a non dairy alternative such as soy milk.HOW LONG DOES SODA BREAD KEEP? Soda bread does not keep as well as yeasted bread and this is precisely why this recipe makes a small loaf.The bread will last for a couple of days in the bread bin but after that it will start to harden. Luckily this brings us to our next question...CAN YOU FREEZE SODA BREAD? Yes! Wait until the loaf has cooled down completely, slice, wrap and freeze. You can toast the slices straight from the freezer – delicious for breakfast or with a bowl of hot soup.NEED TO KNOWBaking sodais the same thing as BICARBONATE OF SODA. This leavening agent reacts with the acidity in the buttermilk (or the vinegar/lemon juice) to give your no yeast bread its rise. Do check your baking soda is within date if you don’t bake often.DOs AND DON'Ts Do add a bit more milk or water if the dough is too dry. Avoid adding more flour unless the dough is still very sticky when you turn it out. Handle the dough gently and avoid kneading it too much – unlike regular bread you really need to handle this as little as possible.