On a cold day, I love nothing more than a bowl of hot soup and some fresh chunky bread, and with this easy recipe I can always have it! There’s no hanging around waiting for it to prove and it can be rustled up in less than an hour from start to finish.
The bicarbonate of soda replaces the yeast as the raising agent, which means that the texture is much more dense, so don’t expect a light, fluffy slice of bread! It is delicious served warm with butter and is not only great with soup but is also superb for a quick lunch of cheese and pickle sandwiches.
Ingredients:
- 500g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 400 ml buttermilk
Method
- Heat your oven to 200C /180F/Gas
- Put all your dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Gradually stir in the buttermilk to make a sticky dough.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it quickly into a ball. Flatten the ball a little with the palm of your hand.
- Place the dough on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, mark it into quarters – cut deep marks into the bread, almost cutting through to the base, but not quite. Dust with a little flour.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the loaf is cooked through – it should be golden brown, risen and sound hollow when tapped on the base.
- Leave to cool and eat on the same day – freeze any that’s left over as it freezes well.
