Soda Bread

Help!

You've run out of bread, people are unexpectedly coming round for breakfast/lunch/supper, it's cold, it's Wednesday...these are all very good reasons to make soda bread.

It is very rustle-up-able and takes hardly any time at all - it's magic to have fresh bread within half an hour!  It is also extremely delicious.

6oz/150g plain flour

3/4tsp cream of tartar

1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tbsp caster sugar

6 tbsp milk

(As with normal bread, you can shove in pretty much anything you fancy - dried fruit, herbs/spices, lemon/orange zest, chocolate chips, grated cheese, olives...)

Pre-heat your oven to 190C/gas mark 5

Place all the ingredients together in a bowl and stir until they come together, adding more milk if necessary.

Place on a greased tin and flatten to about 2cm thick. 

Cut a cross in the top of the loaf and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top and cooked through.

You can also cook this in a greased frying pan on a low heat, turning halfway through.  Great if you are cooking over an open fire or can't be bothered to turn on the oven!

The soda bread can be eaten hot or cold, in chunks or in slices and goes equally well with cheese or jam.

For a delicious variant ideal for picnics, canapes or BBQs:

Stir in half a teaspoon of chopped rosemary or thyme to the dry ingredients, then stir in a little more milk than usual to make a very soft dough.  Place this on a greased tray, flatten to 1.5cm thick and push in lumps of cheese all over - soft goats cheese or brie work well.

Bake as above, remove from the oven and cover with a large dollop of sweet chilli jelly.  Leave to cool for 5 - 10 minutes before slicing.

(This one is rosemary and brie, cut into bitesize cubes to nibble with G and Ts before supper.  You have to be careful though, it's so delicious you  might not have any space left when it comes to the main course!)