I have made various types of bread in the past but due to all the kneading, resting etc. I always find the effort not really worth it. A friend recently taught me how to make soda bread which unlike its cousins does not require you to do any work with the dough. The longest step in fact is the 40 minutes it takes to bake!

This will make one loaf

Ingredients

• 450g Plain flour
• 1tsp Caster Sugar
• 1tsp Salt
• 1 ½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda
• 1 ½ tsp Cream of Tartar
• 350ml Buttermilk or natural yoghurt

1. Sieve all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and make a well in the centre
2. Add in your buttermilk/yoghurt into the well and using one hand flick the dry ingredients over the liquid and then start to incorporate until you have a smooth dough. The only reason to try and do this with one hand is that the dough will stick to you so one messy hand is better than two!
3. Sprinkle some flour on to your work surface and knead briefly using the palm of your hands, then shape into a ball and place on a baking tray that has also been dusted with flour.
4. Using a sharp knife cut a deep cross into the loaf. This will help the centre of the load cook and will also give your loaf a nice rustic look when it comes out of the oven.
5. Sprinkle a little flour over your dough and then bake in the oven at 190°C for about 40 minutes.