Recipe for Soda Bread
450 g flour (either cake flour or all-purpose)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Between 200-300 ml / 8-10 fluid ounces buttermilk, sour / soured milk, or plain milk, to mix
If you don’t have buttermilk, add a teaspoonful of lemon juice or vinegar to the milk for a few minutes to sour it slightly.
Sift the dry ingredients together thoroughly to make sure the bicarbonate of soda is evenly distributed. Put the sifted dry ingredients in a big bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in about three-quarters of the buttermilk or sour milk, and start stirring. You are trying to achieve a dough that is raggy and very soft, but the lumps and rags of it should look dryish and "floury", while still being extremely squishy if you poke them. Add more liquid sparingly if you think you need it. (You may need more or less according to conditions: local humidity and temperature, the absorptiveness of the flour you're using, etc.)
Blend quickly (but not too energetically!) until the whole mass of dough has become this raggy consistency. Then turn the contents of the bowl out immediately onto a lightly floured board or work surface, and start to knead. Only knead for a couple of minutes to bind the mixture together.
Flatten the lump of dough to a slightly domed circle or flat hemisphere about 6-8 inches in diameter, and put it on a baking sheet (which should be dusted lightly with flour first). Then use a very sharp knife to cut a cross right across the circle. The cuts should go about halfway down through the sides of the circle of dough, so that the loaf will "flower" properly
Bake for 45 minutes at 200° C without opening the oven. At the end of 45 minutes, pick up the loaf and tap the bottom - a hollow sound means it's done. For a very crunchy crust, put on a rack to cool. For a softer crust, as above, wrap the cake in a clean dishcloth as soon as it comes out of the oven.
