Being married to an Irishman, soda bread is a constant in our home. My husband adores it and I really like it too. A good loaf of brown bread makes the best toast or the perfect compliment to a nice bowl of soup. My Honey Oat Irish Soda Bread is a gorgeous loaf that has just the tiniest kiss of sweetness from a drizzle of honey on the crust and I’m happy to say that it never lasts very long. I love to eat a slice that’s been warmed in the oven with a little salted butter for a nice treat with my coffee or tea. It’s so nice I don’t even mind if that’s all I have for lunch or dinner – it’s incredibly satisfying.
I won’t pretend that the soda bread in our home is always homemade – I do buy it from the shops or a bakery quite often, but occasionally when I have a little time I love to make it from scratch. The beauty of soda bread is that it needs no kneading or time to rise. It’s quick and easy to make as far as breads go, so I can even whip up a loaf before lunch or dinner if I want to. It also makes a lovely host or hostess gift, wrapped in a lovely new linen or cotton tea towel they can keep.
If you make this recipe, you won’t likely eat the whole loaf at once – although you might… It’s that good! To store it, wrap the loaf in a linen or cotton tea towel and pop it into a sealed plastic container. This is the best way to store any fresh bread as the tea towel soaks up the moisture from the bread, keeping it fresh. Replace the tea towel every 2 to 3 days or when it feels a bit damp to keep the bread fresher for longer.
If you’ve always wanted to make bread, but can’t wrap your head around the complicated nature of sourdough starters or rising & kneading schedules for yeast bread recipes, this is a great place to start. You can also make soda bread anywhere as it doesn’t need a warm environment to rise. Honey Oat Irish Soda Bread is just as impressive as any other loaf with a lot less hassle and time required. Let’s get started!
Ingredients
- 250g plain white flour
- 250g wholemeal flour
- 100g porridge oats
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 25g unsalted butter
- 500ml buttermilk
- A little honey for drizzling
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 180° Fan / 400°F and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
- Dump all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir them together with a whisk or a fork.
- Add the butter and either use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to rub it into the dry mixture.
- Pour the buttermilk in all at once and use a butter knife to stir it quickly, incorporating as much of it as you can into the moist dough. Then use your hands to gently form the dough while still in the bowl, catching every last bit of flour and dry ingredients, incorporating them. It’s helpful to use either a rubber spatula or if you have one, a rounded pastry scraper to get everything out of the bowl.
- When it starts coming together and looking like it will hold together on its own, dump it onto the prepared baking tin and try to nudge it into a round loaf. Delicately drizzle some honey across the top – just thin lines back and forth – and use a knife to score the top with deep cuts in the shape of a plus sign to help it cook evenly. (+)
- Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. The loaf is done when it makes a hollow sound when you tap the bottom of it. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes if you can stand it before serving.
- Tip: The best way to store bread for freshness is to wrap it in a smooth cotton or linen tea towel and keep it in a sealed container like a large tupperware box or a large ziplock bag. This will help to prevent the bread from molding by absorbing the moisture from the bread into the towel. If the towel is getting damp, change it to a fresh one (usually after 2 or 3 days if the bread is still good).
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