Traditional Irish soda bread
Also known as damper in Australia, soda bread is a light scone-like bread leavened with bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk. While raisins and caraway seeds are traditional additions, they can be an acquired taste so feel free to leave them out. Or swap them for sweet or savoury alternatives, like sundried tomatoes, rosemary and cumin...

Traditional Irish soda bread

Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 x 150g sachets (300g) NOMU MiniMakes All Purpose Dough & Batter Mix
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tbsp (45g) cold butter, cubed
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (optional – see Tips)
½ cup (65g) raisins (optional – see Tips)
200ml buttermilk
1 egg
Flour, for kneading

Directions

Place the oven rack in the lower part of your oven and preheat to 200°C. Generously grease and line a 20cm cast iron skillet with baking paper (see Tips).

Combine the dry mix and bicarb, then rub in the butter until fine and crumbly. Stir in the raisins and caraway seeds, if using. Add the combined egg and buttermilk and stir into dry mix to form a soft dough.

Gently knead the dough on a floured surface to bring it together, adding a little more flour if it’s too sticky. Shape into a smooth ball, then place in the prepared pan. Press the dough down slightly to flatten and score a cross about 1cm deep into the top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden, loosely covering the bread with some foil if you notice heavy browning on top. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serve with butter, honey and preserves.

 

Tips: If you don’t have a 20cm skillet, you can also use a Dutch oven (without the lid), cake tin or a tray lined with baking paper.

Traditional soda bread includes caraway seeds and raisins in the dough, but it’s also delicious left plain. 

This bread is best eaten on the day it’s made.

Ingredients

2 x 150g sachets (300g) NOMU MiniMakes All Purpose Dough & Batter Mix
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tbsp (45g) cold butter, cubed
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (optional – see Tips)
½ cup (65g) raisins (optional – see Tips)
200ml buttermilk
1 egg
Flour, for kneading

Directions

Place the oven rack in the lower part of your oven and preheat to 200°C. Generously grease and line a 20cm cast iron skillet with baking paper (see Tips).

Combine the dry mix and bicarb, then rub in the butter until fine and crumbly. Stir in the raisins and caraway seeds, if using. Add the combined egg and buttermilk and stir into dry mix to form a soft dough.

Gently knead the dough on a floured surface to bring it together, adding a little more flour if it’s too sticky. Shape into a smooth ball, then place in the prepared pan. Press the dough down slightly to flatten and score a cross about 1cm deep into the top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden, loosely covering the bread with some foil if you notice heavy browning on top. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serve with butter, honey and preserves.

 

Tips: If you don’t have a 20cm skillet, you can also use a Dutch oven (without the lid), cake tin or a tray lined with baking paper.

Traditional soda bread includes caraway seeds and raisins in the dough, but it’s also delicious left plain. 

This bread is best eaten on the day it’s made.

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