Making Soda Bread with Author K A Servian

Soda bread

Soda bread was the perfect staple for colonial families because it could be made quickly and baked over an open fire; either on a griddle or in a metal camp oven.

This recipe is for a very simple version to which you can add additional flavours (either sweet or savoury) if you choose. I’ve topped it with sunflower and pumpkin seeds for extra crunch.

Preheat oven on fan bake to 180 c (356 f) and line a large casserole dish with baking paper. I used a ceramic bread dome, but any large cooking container with a lid will do.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of wholemeal flour
1 1/2 cups high grade or strong white flour
1tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk add 1tsp of lemon juice or white vinegar per cup of milk and allow to sit for 10 minutes before using)
Sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds (optional)



Method

Mix flours, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk. Mix well with your hands. The dough will be sticky.

Wash and dry your hands  and then flour them well. Form the dough into a round and place in the dish.

Optional - sprinkle sunflower and pumpkin seeds on top and/or use an oiled knife to cut a cross in the top. The cross was traditionally made in the bread to ward off evil spirits.

Cover dish with the lid and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and bake a further 20 minutes. The bread is ready when the top is golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped. Allow an extra 5 minutes if you’re not sure.


Soda bread is best eaten fresh from the oven as an accompaniment to soup or with cheese, ham and pickles (or simply slathered in butter). Leftovers make great toast the next day.



About the Author

An overwhelming urge to create led Kathy to pursue qualifications in both fashion design and applied design to fabric which were followed by a twenty year career in the fashion and applied arts industries and a crafting habit Martha Stewart would be proud of.
Kathy then discovered a love of teaching and began passing on the skills she'd accumulated over the years—design, pattern-making, sewing, Art Clay Silver, screen-printing and machine embroidery to name a few. 
Creative writing started as a self-dare to see if she had the chops to write a manuscript. Kathy’s first novel, Peak Hill, which was developed from that manuscript, was a finalist in the Romance Writers of New Zealand Pacific Hearts Full Manuscript contest in 2016.
Her second novel, Throwing Light was published in February 2017 and her third novel, The Moral Compass is due out in late 2017.
Kathy now squeezes full time study for an advanced diploma in creative writing around writing the sequel to The Moral Compass, teaching sewing and being a wife and mother.


K. A. Servian on the web:

Website       Facebook     Twitter     Instagram    Author Page  

The Moral Compass (Shaking the Tree Book 1)

Florence lives like a Princess attending dinner parties and balls away from the gritty reality, filth and poverty of Victorian London.

However, her world comes crashing around her when her father suffers a spectacular fall from grace. She must abandon her life of luxury, leave behind the man she loves and sail to the far side of the world where compromise and suffering beyond anything she can imagine await her. 

When she is offered the opportunity to regain some of what she has lost, she takes it, but soon discovers that not everything is as it seems. The choice she has made has a high price attached and she must live with the heart-breaking consequences of her decision. 

This novel is part one in the 'Shaking the Tree' series.


Buy on:

Amazon Kindle               Amazon Paperback

Amazon Aus                     Amazon UK 



Comments

  1. I have never made soda bread. It sounds really easy compare to traditional breads so I may have to try this when I am making soup! The novel is intriguing. I love life changing stories.

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    1. Thank you, Miss Val. Soda bread is very quick and easy to make. It’s a great recipe to have in your arsenal when you don’t want to spend three hours making yeast bread. I hope you have a chance to read The Moral Compass.

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  2. never tried though sounds so easy .
    itb soda?
    is this okay for a stomach ulcer patient

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Baili, it is very easy to make. I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to your question. That is something to confirm with a medical professional.

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  3. I've often heard of soda bread, but have never tried it either.
    It sounds delicious, so I will definitely give it a go!
    Many thanks for sharing.:)

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  4. What a great recipe. I'm all about easy.
    Love your book title. Wishing you all the best.

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  5. I don't think I've ever had soda bread but now I'm intrigued.

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  6. i have never had soda bread but it sounds and looks quite delicious! thank you for sharing this recipe! :)

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  7. Yum!!! Sounds great - and so easy!! Thanks for the recipe :)

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  8. I made an Irish Soda Bread a few years back and hated it (I think it was the caraway seeds that didn't sit well with me). I think I would like your version much better! The addition of the pepitas and sunflower seeds sounds delish!

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    1. Hope you give it another try. Kind regards, Kathy.

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  9. I've never tried soda bread but I might just make some. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  10. I always make mine with raisins. I'll have to try with sunflower/pumpkin seeds, though. That sounds good.

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    1. Raisins would be yummy. I’ll have to give them a go. Chopped dates would be good too, I imagine.

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