Celebrate St Patrick’s Day with Batch Lady’s super-easy Irish soda bread recipe

TO celebrate St Patrick’s Day this Thursday, I’ve got a wonderful Irish recipe that freezes brilliantly – so you can enjoy some Irish delights whenever you fancy.

Try my recipe for super-easy Irish soda bread, which can be frozen whole or sliced and then popped into the toaster whenever you fancy. Enjoy.

Irish soda bread

(Makes 1 medium loaf)

Preparation time: 5 minutes.

Cooking time: 30 minutes.

YOU NEED:

• 230g wholemeal flour
• 115g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 300ml tub buttermilk
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp salt

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Add the flours and bicarbonate of soda to a mixing bowl and mix.

Pour in the buttermilk, honey and salt and start to bring the dough together with your hands, forming it into a ball.

Place the ball on to a lined baking tray with a sprinkling of flour and push it down a little to create a slightly flattened shape.

With a sharp knife, cut a cross in the middle of the dough to allow the steam to escape.

Place dough into oven for 30 minutes, until you have a hard crust and when you knock on the bottom of the bread it sounds hollow. Leave the bread to cool.

 Ready to freeze: Once cooled, freeze the loaf whole or slice it and add to a freezer bag.

 Ready to eat: Remove the loaf from the freezer, leave it to defrost and enjoy with a thick layer of butter.

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