250g plain white flour
250g plain wholemeal flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
About 400ml buttermilk
Extra virgin olive oil (for brushing the top of the loaf)
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.
Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas6. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
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.
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. Put the dough on the baking tray. Brush the top of the bread with the extra virgin olive oil. This will give the bread a lovely golden colour when baked. Mark into quarters with a large, sharp knife, cutting deeply through the loaf, almost but not quite through to the base.
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.
