Soda Bread and Variations

Soda bread is the speedy, no-knead alternative to yeast bread.  Perfect for soup dipping, baked cheese dipping, with smoked salmon, alongside a rich beef stew...I could go on!
This is my recipe for a basic soda bread, it can be made with half wholemeal, half white if you prefer.  I have included some of my favourite variations below, sweet and savoury.
Soda bread is really best eaten on the day it is made, even better when still slightly warm!

It is traditionally made with buttermilk (or very traditionally soured whole milk), I most often use a mixture of natural yogurt and milk, it's just as good and easier to get hold of. 

 

Ingredients

400g Plain Flour

1 level teaspoon Salt

1 level teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

325ml Buttermilk or half Natural Yogurt, half Milk

• Preheat the oven to 210C (fan) and oil a baking tray.
• Combine the flour with the salt and the bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl.
• Pour the buttermilk or yoghurt/milk mixture into the flour bowl then mix lightly with a fork until it just comes together into a loose, wet dough.
• Tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and turn it around in the flour, lightly shaping it into a round ball.
• Put the ball of dough onto the oiled baking tray and cut a deep cross into it.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until risen, craggy and golden brown, you can insert a skewer into the middle to check it comes out clean.

 

Variations

Soda bread lends itself very well to flavourings, savoury or sweet, the following are ones that I know and love.  You will probably find that the loaf will need slightly longer in the oven, about 30-35 minutes should do it.

Caramelised Onion and Feta Cheese

Add about 2 tablespoons of caramelised onions and 100g of crumbled feta cheese to the flour and mix through before adding the liquid.

 

Spiced Apple and Raisin (Sweet)

Mix 50g Caster Sugar, 1 level teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon, half a teaspoon of Ground Allspice, an eating apple peeled, diced and cooked (just until tender in a small pan with a squeeze of lemon juice) and a few handfuls of raisins into the flour bowl before pouring in the liquid.

Cheese and Pickle
Mix 100g Strong Mature Cheddar and around 4 tablespoons of Branston's Pickle (or any chutney you like) into the flour bowl before pouring in the liquid.  Sprinkle the top with more cheese before baking.

Seeds and Fruit (Sweet)
(I usually use jumbo raisins and cranberries with a mixture of pumpkin and sunflower seeds)
Mix 75g of Caster Sugar, around 150g Dried Fruit and 50g of Seeds into the flour bowl before pouring in the liquid.  Before it goes in the oven brush with milk then sprinkle with demerara sugar and more seeds.
 

Spiced Apple and Raisin

   

 

Cheese and Pickle

    

 

 Seeds and Fruit



       

Chocolate Scones

Now...please don't get me wrong, I love a classic scone piled high with jam and clotted cream as much as the next person.  However, I have recently been experimenting with my scone recipe and thought I'd try a chocolate version, I'm happy to report that it was a very successful experiment!

I think these work well as a mini scone, they are a tad rich to have as a standard size, it's really up to you though.  They are fabulous topped with slightly sweetened, thickly whipped double or whipping cream (clotted cream is a bit much!) then sprinkled with chopped chocolate (bashed up Flake is my personal favourite).

Makes about 20 small scones or 8-10 large ones

Ingredients

175g Self-Raising Flour

50g Cocoa

pinch of salt

50g Butter (cold block or spreadable)

50g Caster Sugar

100g Plain Chocolate (40-50% cocoa solids), chopped finely

1 Large Egg

Milk

• Preheat the oven to 220C and line a baking tray with baking/greaseproof paper.
• Mix the self-raising flour, cocoa and a pinch of salt together in a bowl.
• If you are using block butter, grate it into the bowl of flour.  Cut through it a few times with a table knife to break up the butter and distribute it through the flour mixture.  If using spreadable just tip it into the bowl then cut through it repeatedly with a knife until the butter is in small pieces distributed evenly through the mixture.
• Add the sugar and the chopped chocolate and lightly toss to incorporate into the mixture.
• Break the egg into a measuring jug then add enough milk to make the liquid up to 150ml. Beat together with a fork then pour most of it (leaving a small amount in the jug to brush on top of the scones before baking) into the flour bowl.
• Mix with a fork until it all comes together into a soft dough.  Tip it onto a lightly floured surface and gently roll it out until it's about 2cm thick.  Cut out shapes, rolling out the dough again until you have used it all and put them onto the lined tray.  Brush the tops with the remaining milk and egg then bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
• Cool on a rack...though they are delicious served when still a little warm.  The cream I like to serve with them is whipping or double cream whipped with a tablespoon or two of icing sugar and a drop of vanilla extract.