Soda Bread recipe By Paul Hollywood

Soda Bread

Makes 1 small loaf
Bake 30 minutes

Ireland's most famous bread is made with two of the oldest foods, wheat and buttermilk. The acid in the buttermilk reacts with the bicarbonate of soda and creates the rise. If you have kids, do teach them how to make soda bread, because it's great to be able to put a loaf on the table within 45 minutes. Once you've mastered it, try adding some grated Wexford cheese (vintage Irish Cheddar) and chopped raw onion to the dough.

Ingredients

- 250g plain white flour

- 250g plain wholemeal flour

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

- About 400ml buttermilk

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Method

1.Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

2. Put the flours, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in half the buttermilk. Using your fingers or a round-bladed knife, draw the flour into the buttermilk. Continue to add the buttermilk until all the flour has been absorbed and you have a sticky dough. You may not need all the buttermilk – it depends on the flour you use.

3. Tip the dough out on to a lightly floured surface, shape it into a ball and flatten it slightly with the palm of your hand. It is important to work quickly, as once the buttermilk is added it begins to react with the bicarbonate of soda.

4. Put the dough on the baking tray. Mark into quarters with a large, sharp knife, cutting deeply through the loaf, almost but not quite through to the base. Dust the top with flour.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Eat on the day of baking – or toast it the next day.

FRENCH BREAD Stick recipe

INGREDIENTS

550g strong white flour (at room temperature) plus a little extra 

1 level dessertspoon fine salt 

¾ teaspoon easy bake yeast

350ml hand-hot water

EQUIPMENT

Equipment: You will need a large baking sheet very well buttered and one or two large polythene bags, greased on the inside with a few drops of oil. A roasting tin.

METHOD

Begin by measuring the flour, salt and yeast into a bowl, using a spatula mix everything together thoroughly. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, then add the water.

Now mix to a dough, starting off with the spatula and using your hands in the final stages of mixing, adding a spot more water if there are any dry bits. Continue to mix and press the dough in the bowl for about 1 minute so that the dough is evenly mixed (it will feel little sticky but that’s fine) then put the bowl of dough into a large polythene bag and close it with a clip.

Leave it until it looks as though it has doubled in bulk, which will be about 2 hours at room temperature.

After that, punch out all the air, then knead briefly and divide the dough evenly into two.

Next roll one piece into a sausage shape about 40cm long then place it on a lightly floured surface and use the heal of your hand to flatten it out to about 12cm wide all the way along.

Now fold one long edge of dough into the centre, pressing it down with your fingertips and do the same with the other long edge. Turn the roll over so that the seam is underneath and place it on a well-greased baking sheet.

Repeat with the second piece of dough.

Then place the baking sheet in an oiled polythene bag (you may need two overlapping bags) for about 1¼ hours at room temperature.

Pre-heat the oven to 230°C, gas mark 8. Position a shelf in the top third of the oven for the bread and place a roasting tin in the oven on a lower shelf.

When the sticks have risen, put a kettle on to boil. Then remove the bag and slash each stick diagonally five times with a sharp serrated knife, then dust the loaves with flour.

Place them near the top of the oven, and then quickly pour boiling water into the hot roasting tray below (so that it is about 2cm deep).

Quickly, but gently, close the oven door and time them for 25 minutes then turn the loaves over and give them a further 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.