Easy-Bake Soda Bread Recipe

Sylvia Leong is a former healthcare professional who uses her education and experience as a nutritionist and therapeutic personal trainer.

“Wow, you make your own soda bread?”

The idea of making bread conjures up fears of labor-intensive hours in a hot kitchen amongst rolling pins, piles of dirty dishes and white, powdery flour coating everything.

An even worse fear: after all that work, the bread will be a flop.

"Well, you must use a bread maker, right?”

Nope. No bread maker here. I have a serious aversion to clutter and that means I own as few appliances as possible.

Good thing making bread is super easy!

You can bake soda bread on anything: cookie sheet, loaf pan, casserole dish to name a few. Whichever you choose, parchment paper makes it easier to cut and the cleanup less of a hassle.

Equipment

• Cookie sheet, loaf pan or casserole dish
• Parchment paper
• 2 large bowls
• 2 large forks
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Basting brush (optional)
• Spatula (optional)
• Wire cooling rack (optional)

Cook Time

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups whole grain spelt flour
• 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Liquid ingredients:

• 2 extra-large eggs
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut in
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Set your oven at 380ºF (or 355ºF in a convection oven).
2. Line your baking dish with parchment paper and set it aside.
3. Pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bowl and stir like the dickens.
4. With bare, clean hands, further squish/mix the butter between your thumb and forefinger.
5. With bare, clean hands, form dough into a rough, straggly mess of a ball.
6. Place bread dough onto the parchment paper and push into the edges of the dish. Otherwise, if dough is on a baking sheet, leave it in a ball.
7. Cut an X into the centre of the bread dough with your finger (or with a spatula if you prefer).
8. Coat the bread dough with buttermilk using your fingertips (or with a brush if you prefer).
9. Bake for 30 minutes.
10. Check to make sure loaf isn’t too brown.
11. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
12. Let the loaf sit out in its baking container on a cooling rack.

Savory and Sweet Options

You can add many different ingredients to your bread. Just mix throughout the dough before baking:

• White cheese, grated
• Caraway or pumpkin seeds
• Celery slices
• Sliced olives
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg
• Dried fruits
• Come up with your own tasty combination. I dare you to experiment!

© 2021 Sylvia Leong