Soda Bread for £0.32p in 30 minutes - step by step with photos

It's a drizzly day in Frugally Well today, I had a hankering for tomato soup with bread to dip in as I'd remembered a tin of YS Heinz cream of tomato soup lurking at the back of the cupboard.  Then I remembered that we had no bread left!  It's Himself who makes all our bread and as he was at work it would be a case of going to the shop or make it myself.  Now then, paying a shop for my daily bread goes strictly against the grain so I was going to have to don the pinny and get baking.

I have a small issue with bread making, arthritic hands which means kneading is beyond me.  I did ponder the ancient breadmaker in the cupboard but decided that the wait coupled with the amount of electricity it uses rendered it a negative option.  I therefore decided to compromise and make some Irish style soda bread.  This lovely, rustic loaf is an old favourite that we don't eat very often.


There were a couple of flaws in my otherwise pristine plan, a) no wholemeal flour and b) no buttermilk. I had plain and SR flour and semi skimmed milk and a lemon which would all do at a pinch.

Ingredients:

• 175g SR flour (white or wholemeal or a bit of both)
• 175g plain flour (you can use all SR flour)
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 flat tablespoon of Bicarbonate of Soda (level with a knife as too much will leave an odd taste)
• 300 mls buttermilk (or substitute with some soured cream loosened with milk or my lemon/milk mix)
• You can add, fruit (fresh or dried), nuts, seeds nutella or anything you fancy to flavour your bread.

Cost analysis:

• flour 3p per 100 gm (Smart Price) = £0.11p
• salt £0.02
• Bicarbonate of soda £0.02
• Semi-skimmed milk 1/2 pint from 4 pint carton £0.13p
• 1/5th of a lemon juiced £0.04p

Total cost for this loaf:  £0.32p

Skimmed or semi-skimmed milk and a few drops of lemon substitute buttermilk. 

It looks a little funky but I strained the lemon bits out when adding to the flour.

Quickly mix all the ingredients in a bowl and turn out onto a floured surface, yes, it's supposed to look like that.

Work quickly and get it baking asap to ensure the bicarbonate of soda doesn't stop working before it's put into the oven.   This is sticky stuff and you will get it up to your ears!

Again, work quickly without kneading to form a boule shape.

Then into a greased tin (or baking sheet, or whatever).

I decided not to break with tradition and added my split cross.

Bake at 200 degrees C/Gas 6 for around 30 minutes, it's done when the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.  

It was delicious, rich and hearty.  The texture is denser and more 'cakey' than the very aerated yeast activated bread.  Not bad for 5 minutes preparation and 30 minutes baking and it will store nicely.  I'm looking forward to my toast in the morning now.