– 250g plain white flour

– 250g plain wholemeal flour

– 1 tsp salt

– 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

– About 400ml buttermilk (If you don’t have this on had, keep the dry mix that you can add to milk or water and have the same effect)

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.

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.

Soda bread was popular long ago in Ireland, especially in rural areas where a regular supply of barm (brewer’s yeast) wasn’t always accessible to the home baker.

Here I’m giving you an Irish spin on Welsh rarebit, using Irish cheese, spring onions and a splash of stout. Rarebit is one of those great comfort foods that can be thrown together at the last minute. The mixture also keeps well in the fridge, so you can have it on standby for a quick lunch or supper.

Ingredients

Metric
Cups
Imperial

• 150 ml full-fat milk
• 1.5 tbsp plain flour
• 400 g strong Irish Cheddar, grated
• 160 g medium-fine white breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp English mustard powder
• 120 ml Guinness or other stout
• 2 medium egg yolks
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
• 6 slices of soda bread
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 cup watercress, to serve

• 5.3 fl oz full-fat milk
• 1.5 tbsp plain flour
• 14.1 oz strong Irish Cheddar, grated
• 5.6 oz medium-fine white breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp English mustard powder
• 4.2 fl oz Guinness or other stout
• 2 medium egg yolks
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
• 6 slices of soda bread
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 cup watercress, to serve

• 0.6 cup full-fat milk
• 1.5 tbsp plain flour
• 14.1 oz strong Irish Cheddar, grated
• 5.6 oz medium-fine white breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp English mustard powder
• 0.5 cup Guinness or other stout
• 2 medium egg yolks
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
• 6 slices of soda bread
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 cup watercress, to serve

Details

• Cuisine: Irish
• Recipe Type: Main
• Difficulty: Easy
• Preparation Time: 5 mins
• Cooking Time: 10 mins
• Serves: 6

Step-by-step

1. Preheat your grill to high. Warm the milk in a saucepan until almost simmering, then whisk in the flour. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. The mixture should be smooth and slightly thickened.
2. Add the grated cheese and stir over a low heat until it has melted. Add the breadcrumbs, mustard powder and stout. Continue stirring over the heat until the mixture comes together and leaves the sides of the pan.
3. Tip the mixture into a bowl and leave for a minute to cool slightly, then add the egg yolks and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until well combined. Stir in the spring onions.
4. Toast the soda bread on one side. Spread the rarebit on the untoasted side and place under the hot grill until bubbling and golden brown. Add a grinding of pepper and serve, with watercress on the side.

Extract taken from Paul Hollywood’s Pies & Puds, published by Bloomsbury. Photography by Peter Cassidy.