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Irish Soda Bread

Four ingredient no-yeast bread that is mixed in one minute and costs about 11p a slice. Best eaten warm with butter.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings: 8 slices
Course: Breakfast, Side Dish
Cuisine: Irish

Ingredients
  

  • 450 g plain flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 400 ml whole milk
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan and put a baking tray inside to heat up.
  2. Stir the lemon juice into the milk and leave it to sit for 5 minutes until it looks slightly curdled. This soured milk does the same job as buttermilk at a fraction of the price.
  3. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle.
  4. Pour in the soured milk and stir with a knife or wooden spoon for about 20 seconds, just until it comes together into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Do not overwork it.
  5. Tip onto a floured surface, shape quickly into a round about 20cm across and lift it onto the hot tray. Cut a deep cross in the top, almost all the way through.
  6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen, golden and hollow-sounding when you tap the base. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before cutting.