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Nadiya Hussain’s Soda Bread

Made with an easy homemade buttermilk for a slightly tangy flavour, this simple soda bread is easily customisable with your favourite spices, dried fruit or nuts.

From the book

Nadiya Hussain

Introduction

Of all the breads, soda bread is the easiest and fastest to make. If you have milk on the turn, it’s the best for bread like this.

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Ingredients

400ml whole milk
4 tbsp lemon juice
700g plain flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g butter, softened

Method

Start by making the buttermilk. Pour the whole milk into a jug with the lemon juice, stir well, set aside and leave to thicken.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with some baking paper.

Put the plain flour in a large bowl with the salt, caster sugar and bicarbonate of soda.

Add the butter to the bowl and rub the butter in till there are no large clumps.

Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk, using a dinner knife to bring the dough together without kneading. Do this till you have little or no flour left.

Tip the dough out onto a worktop and bring together without kneading. Place on the lined baking tray and flatten to about 5cm thick. Use a sharp knife to cut all the way through into eight equal wedges.

Pop into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Take it out and leave to cool on a rack. While still warm, take a wedge, open and butter generously and enjoy!

TIP: This is such a great dough to flavour. You can use spices, dried fruit, nuts, zests, chocolate – there are so many creative possibilities.

Reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars

11 Ratings

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13 Comments

    default user avatar Jo

    Turned out really well! Just wanted to ask if it can be frozen – does it defrost well?

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    default user avatar The Happy Foodie Team

    Hi Jo,

    Thank you for your comment. You should be fine to freeze the soda bread.

    Happy Cooking!
    The Happy Foodie Team

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    default user avatar Hammy

    Hi Happy Foodie Team
    My husband and I watched Nadiya make the Soda bread and I liked the idea of using bicarbonate of soda instead of yeast (quickest way, no proving time needed) I can make fruity soda bread as she has done especially at Christmas but as I mentioned she said on TV and as well as on bing.com/video (U Tube), to put 500g of plain flour and this recipe says to use 700g. All I would like to know is what is the measure of flour she makes the bread with.

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    default user avatar Hilary Shepherd

    I am an experienced bread maker. The first time I used this recipe I measured the ingredients carefully but the dough was very sticky. The next time I added a mix of seeds. Both leaves were very tasty. I shall continue to use the recipe, and thank Nadiya Hussain.

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    default user avatar Hammy Rajabali

    On TV for this recipe you said to put 500g of plain flour but on U tube the ingredients is 700g so which is it.

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    default user avatar The Happy Foodie Team

    Hi Hammy,

    Nadiya says to use 700g of flour on the episode of Cook Once, Eat Twice in which she makes this recipe.

    The Happy Foodie Team

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    default user avatar Sarah Geraghty

    Amazing

    I added crushed almonds and walnuts – delicious

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    default user avatar Ann

    Brilliant it’s lovely bread .Will be making this weekly as it’s so quick and easy also my husband loves it.x

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    default user avatar Dee

    I copied the recipe except used pre made buttermilk. It was gorgeous but had to bake a little longer.

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    default user avatar Shaun

    Tried the recipe today, exact amount of ingredients, but dough didn’t come together, looked more like runny porridge, I did cook it but it came out like a large flatbread…

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    default user avatar Tigertowner

    Big lesson learned is that normal semi skimmed milk with added lemon juice doesn’t work so bought a carton of proper buttermilk and voilà, jobs a gud un.

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From the book: Cook Once, Eat Twice

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