soda bread

 I made soda bread yesterday. It turned out quite well.

• 1lb flour (I used 4 oz Allinsons seed and grain mix, and 12 oz plain strong Canadian flour)
• 1/2 pint buttermilk (cultured buttermilk from Waitrose: très cultured, dollink)
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp salt
• warm water

Preheat oven to 220C.

Add the bicarb and salt to the flour, then mix in the buttermilk, adding the warm water towards the end to help everything to bind, then give it a quick pummelling, make it into a ball, and put it onto a tray or, as I did, into a cast iron casserole that I'd oiled and dusted heavily with maize flour.

Bake at 220C for 30 mins, then turn it down to 200C and remove the pot lid for 15 mins to brown the crust.

Keeping the lid on keeps the cooking loaf in a moist atmosphere and helps it grow.

Turn it out onto a rack or a board, and cover with a tea towel as it cools, or leave off if you prefer it v crusty