Just a quick post to give the recipe for this delicious dairy-free soda bread that uses Guiness (or another stout) instead of buttermilk.
Soda bread has got to be one of the quickest and easiest breads in the world to make. This version is not exactly dairy-free, seeing as I lumped a generous amount of cheddar cheese and apple chunks onto the top before cooking! But there’s no reason you can’t use a meltable vegan substitute cheese or just make the basic recipe without the toppings.
This recipe was adapted from a Rachel Allen recipe and inspired by a guiness, cheese and apple soda bread that I saw an artisan baker making, on one of the River Cottage programmes.
250g wholemeal spelt flour
200g white spelt flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp caster sugar
1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda (bread soda)
1 tsp salt
350-400ml Guiness or other stout
1/2 skin-on apple cut into large chunks (optional topping)
1 generous handful of cheddar cheese or a dairy-free alternative (optional topping)
- Preheat the oven to 230ºC (450ºF), Gas Mark 8 and reduce the cooking time if using a fan oven.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
- Pour most of the Guiness into the centre of the well, reserving around 50ml.
- Start to bring the dough together, using a clawed hand; add more Guiness if necessary.
- When it starts to come together, turn out onto a floured surface and form into a round about 4/5cm high. DO NOT KNEAD, or this will make the bread too dense.
- Transfer onto a baking tray and either score a deep cross, if you’re leaving plain or lightly push in the chunks of apple and grated cheese.
- Put in the oven for 15mins then turn the oven down to 200ºC (400ºF), Gas Mark 6 and cook for a future 30mins.
- When cooked the loaf will be nicely coloured and should sound hollow if you tap lightly on the bottom.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Tags: apples, bread, cheese, cooking, dairy-free, guiness, spelt
