Читать книгу The New English Kitchen: Changing the Way You Shop, Cook and Eat - Rose Prince - Страница 27

If you don’t have any yeast, or prefer not to eat it, soda bread is a wonderful quick standby and the best bread to eat, buttered, with smoked fish or pastrami. While yeast comes to life with the changing temperature and moisture in the dough, bicarbonate of soda reacts with sour milk or buttermilk, making bubbles that raise the dough and set when baked.

480g/1lb wholemeal flour (or a 50/50 mix of white and wholemeal

flour for a paler loaf)

1 teaspoon fine oatmeal

1¹/₂ teaspoons fine salt

1¹/₂ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

30g/1oz butter

500ml/16fl oz sour milk (see Kitchen Note overleaf) or buttermilk

(or low-fat yoghurt)

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oatmeal, salt and soda, then rub in the butter. Make a well in the centre and slowly add the liquid, mixing all the time. Work the flour in using your hand, until you have a soft but not sticky dough. Turn it out on to a board and shape lightly into a smooth round. Place on a greased baking sheet, scatter with a little extra flour and cut a deep cross on the top with a sharp knife. Bake for 30–35 minutes, turning down the heat to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 halfway through. The loaf is ready when the base sounds hollow when tapped with a finger. If the loaf is soggy underneath, bake it upside down for a further 5 minutes.