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Jesse Dunford Wood
has appeared on BBC’s
MasterChef and The
Truth About Food.
SODA BREAD
Owner of Parlour in London, Jesse Dunford Wood reinvents British
classics in his new book so they’re full of flavour and fun to make
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Bread is one of the most important dishes in the world, something almost every
nation shares in its own regional way. Don’t underestimate the importance of bread at
a mealtime. Breaking bread together is biblical, and I like to serve this as a whole loaf
to share together at the table, a ritual that signifies the start of a meal and a communal
experience.
This also just happens to be one of the most robust and foolproof bread recipes
you are likely to find. It is deeply satisfying, sweet, dense, some may even stretch
to traditional, although I have had various disagreements with certain Irishmen (and the occasional Irishwoman) about
its authenticity. It keeps very well uncooked, and can be pulled from the fridge or freezer and cooked up into a fresh loaf
effortlessly.
I can’t quite remember how I found the base recipe, but I tinkered with it for a year or so to get to what we have today, and it
has remained unchanged for several years.
This is also a brilliant recipe to get the kids involved with, too. I often use it when doing kids’ cooking classes at the local
primary school, as it’s something you can make and bake in real time, and while it’s in the oven, there’s time to put together
another little dish.
Ingredients Method
Makes around 6 small loaves
or 1 large
375g plain flour (I have also made it with
brown, wholemeal and even self-raising flour
before, with little change to the final product),
plus extra for dusting
125g porridge oats
15g salt
15g bicarbonate of soda
30g soft dark brown sugar
375ml buttermilk, or natural yoghurt or milk –
even soy milk works for a dairy-free version
50g black treacle or molasses
1. Mix all the ingredients together in a
bowl – in no particular order – and bring
together into a ball. Easy as that, it really
is.
2. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C
Fan/Gas Mark 7 (ideally, cook with low
fan or no fan, so the flour isn’t blown off).
3. Form the dough into 6 small loaves or
1 large loaf. Traditionally, they are round
and cut deep into quarters. Spray with
water, then dust heavily with flour and
bake for 18–20 minutes for small loaves
and 30–40 minutes for a large loaf,
until a deep toasty colour and hollow-
sounding when knocked.
4.The dough keeps very well once
made. Make it, ball it and fridge it for
up to 5 days, well covered in cling film,
then bake when needed. Comes up
fresh as a daisy. And delicious, too.
www.menu-dorset.co.uk
Recipe from Modern British Food:
Recipes from Parlour
by Jesse Dunford Wood
(Absolute Press, £20) out now
Photography © Lauren Mclean
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