Irish Soda Bread

Instructions

1. 1 Preheat the oven to two hundred degrees Celsius and lightly dust a large baking tray with flour. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl, lifting the sieve high to aerate the flour as it falls.
2. 2 Make a wide well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk in one go. Using a wooden spoon or your hand in a claw shape, stir from the centre outward in quick, circular motions to bring the dough together.
3. 3 The dough should come together into a soft, slightly sticky mass within thirty seconds of mixing. Stop as soon as there is no dry flour remaining — overworking the dough develops gluten and produces a tough, dense loaf.
4. 4 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it gently into a round about five centimetres thick. Do not knead; simply pat and turn the dough two or three times to form a smooth-topped boule.
5. 5 Transfer the round to the prepared baking tray and use a sharp, floured knife to cut a deep cross across the top, slashing almost to the base. This traditional scoring allows heat to penetrate the centre and helps the bread rise evenly.
6. 6 Bake for fifteen minutes at two hundred degrees, then reduce the oven temperature to one hundred and eighty degrees and bake for another twenty to twenty-five minutes until the crust is deeply golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the base.
7. 7 Allow the soda bread to cool on a wire rack for at least fifteen minutes before slicing. Serve warm with salted butter, a good Irish cheddar, or alongside a hearty soup or stew.