IRISH SODA BREAD

IRISH SODA BREAD

This is the recipe for soda bread I've been using a lot recently for I find it the most basic in terms of ingredients.
I often exclude the butter and substitute water for the skimmed milk which results in quite a dry bread, but the addition of Lurpak quickly remedies that.

Ingredients

500 grams of wholemeal flour
1 level teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 teaspoons of cream of tartar
50 grams of butter
275 skimmed milk

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees centigrade/
375 degrees farenheite/gas mark 5

Take a large bowl and mix all the ingredients into it, then rub in the butter until it is thoroughly blended.
Mix in the milk, first with a spatula and then with your hands, until you have a soft dough.
Knead it briefly in the bowl then transfer the dough to a floured worktop and shape it into a round mound.
Using a knife, score the top of the dough quite deeply making a cross.
Leave the loaf for about 10 or 15 minutes.
Place it on a greased baking sheet and bake it for about 45 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
Allow the loaf to cool and serve it as fresh as possible.