Having a nice recipe for a quick bread at hand can never hurt. When the bakery around the corner is closed, for example, when a surprise visitor announces himself/herself on the weekend or when you just do not want to leave the house – in these moments a simple Irish Spelt Soda Bread is perfect. Not even ten minutes of work and less than an hour in the oven. All the time you need to get delicious smelling bread out of your oven ;)
I like quick bread, I have to be honest. You can’t really compare them with »real« bread that is made with yeast or sourdough… but they are still somewhat like »bread« ;) And you don’t have to wait an eternity to get something on the table or in your mouth. Besides the time you need to prepare both types of bread, the biggest difference is probably the texture. Sourdough bread has a nice crumb, big air bubbles trapped inside, and it’s elastic when you squeeze it. Soda bread is compact. I guess that’s one of the most obvious characteristics ;) Even though they can’t really compete with other types of bread when it comes to texture, soda bread is pretty darn tasty too.
TBH – what can you expect? Soda bread has no time to start a fermenting process or develop a lot of gas that can be trapped inside the dough. The soda added to the dough helps a bit with the texture but not that much. That means no air bubbles inside the bread and no really fluffy texture. The dough is not kneaded much, so there is also not much gluten development that could help trap any kind of air in the dough. The result is a much denser texture.
Well. Fluffy texture or not – you still get nice bread with only a few ingredients. As mentioned before – the leavening agent here is baking soda which gives the type of bread its name. If you don’t have any at home, you can also use baking powder. You might need a bit more of that though. If we were to add eggs and some sugar, we would actually get a cake… but in the shape of a loaf of bread ;P
Anyway. As the name also reveals, this type of bread comes from Ireland. I can’t say for sure if that’s where this kind of bread originated, because bread with baking soda or baking powder as a leavening agent can be found in many cultures. Normally you use less strong flour for this type of bread – something like regular a/p flour – but I decided to use a mix of strong spelt flour and wholemeal spelt flour. That also contributes to the somewhat more compact structure of the bread ;P On the other hand, it gives the bread some additional flavor, and using wholemeal flour can honestly never hurt. It’s better for your digestive system than good old bleached wheat flour. My two cents ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
3 cups (390g) strong spelt bread flour (type 1050)
1 cup (130g) wholemeal spelt flour
1.8 oz. (50g) rolled spelt flakes (or regular rolled oats)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter, melted
17.6 oz. (500g) buttermilk
390g Dinkelmehl (Type 1050)
130g Dinkelvollkornmehl
50g Dinkelflocken (oder Haferflocken)
1 TL Natron
1 1/4 TL Salz
2 EL Butter, geschmolzen
500g Buttermilch
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Place a cast-iron skillet* in the oven as well and let it heat up as well.
2. Add the two spelt flours, rolled spelt flakes, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Melt the butter and mix with a small amount of the buttermilk, then add this mixture and the remaining buttermilk to the bowl and mix everything until the dough starts holding together. Knead with your (floured) hands and shape into a large ball. Sprinkle with some flour and place on a piece of baking parchment. Use a sharp knife and cut a cross into the top of the dough ball – make the cuts deep enough so the bread gets a nice shape.
3. When the oven reached the necessary temperature take the skillet out (be careful it’s very hot) and pull the dough ball with the baking parchment into the skillet. Place back in the oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes until golden in color. If you knock on the bottom of the bread it should sound hollow – that means the bread is ready. Take out of the oven and let cool down on a wire rack.
1. Den Ofen auf 230°C (450°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Eine gusseiserne Pfanne* mit in den Ofen stellen und mit aufheizen.
2. Die beiden Mehlsorten, die Dinkelflocken, Natron und Salz in eine große Schüssel geben und mit einem Holzlöffel oder Gummispatel vermischen. Die Butter schmelzen und mit einem kleinen Teil der Buttermilch verrühren, dann diese Mischung und die restliche Buttermilch in die Schüssel geben und alles vermengen, bis der Teig anfängt zusammenzuhalten. Mit (bemehlten) Händen kurz durchkneten und zu einer Kugel formen. Mit etwas Mehl bestäuben und auf ein Stück Backpapier setzen. Mit einem scharfen Messer ein Kreuz in die Oberseite der Teigkugel schneiden – die Schnitte sollten tief genug sein, damit das Brot später eine schöne Form bekommt.
3. Wenn der Ofen die erforderliche Temperatur erreicht hat, die Pfanne herausnehmen (Vorsicht: sehr heiß) und den Teigling mit dem Backpapier in die Pfanne ziehen. Zurück in den Ofen stellen und etwa 40-45 Minuten backen – das Brot sollte schön Farbe bekommen haben. Wenn man auf die Unterseite des Brotes klopft, dann sollte es hohl klingen, dann ist das Brot durchgebacken. Aus dem Ofen nehmen und auf einem Gitterrost abkühlen lassen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Simple Spelt Irish Soda Bread
- Prep Time: 00:10
- Cook Time: 00:45
- Total Time: 01:00
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: Ireland
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Irish Soda Bread is easy to make and ready in no time – this one here is made with (wholemeal) spelt flour and spelt flakes. Enjoy it while still a bit warm.
Ingredients
3 cups (390g) strong spelt bread flour (type 1050)
1 cup (130g) wholemeal spelt flour
1.8 oz. (50g) rolled spelt flakes (or regular rolled oats)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter, melted
17.6 oz. (500g) buttermilk
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Place a cast-iron skillet* in the oven as well and let it heat up as well.
2. Add the two spelt flours, rolled spelt flakes, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Melt the butter and mix with a small amount of the buttermilk, then add this mixture and the remaining buttermilk to the bowl and mix everything until the dough starts holding together. Knead with your (floured) hands and shape into a large ball. Sprinkle with some flour and place on a piece of baking parchment. Use a sharp knife and cut a cross into the top of the dough ball – make the cuts deep enough so the bread gets a nice shape.
3. When the oven reached the necessary temperature take the skillet out (be careful it’s very hot) and pull the dough ball with the baking parchment into the skillet. Place back in the oven and bake for about 45-50 minutes until golden in color. If you knock on the bottom of the bread it should sound hollow – that means the bread is ready. Take out of the oven and let cool down on a wire rack.
Notes
Enjoy baking!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
