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Soda farls
Griddled soda bread
Ulster griddle soda bread quartered into farls
Soda farls are the griddle bread of Northern Ireland, cooked on a flat pan rather than baked, and split and fried in the Ulster fry or eaten warm with butter and jam. Plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk make a quick, light dough that is shaped into a round and cut into four farls. Chef's tip: get the griddle hot before the dough is mixed; the soda starts working as soon as the buttermilk goes in.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 9 oz plain flourplus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat a heavy dry frying pan or griddle over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes and dust it with a little flour. When the flour turns pale beige in 30 seconds, it's ready.
5 minStep 2: Mix the 9 oz plain flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda and ½ tsp salt, make a well and pour in most of the 1 cup buttermilk. Stir quickly with a knife to a soft, sticky dough, adding the rest if dry.
2 minStep 3: Tip onto a floured worktop, flour the top and shape lightly into a round 2 cm thick. Cut into quarters. A common mistake is kneading; just fold it over once or twice.
2 minStep 4: Cook the farls for 8–10 minutes a side, until well risen, golden underneath and they sound hollow when tapped on the sides.
18 minStep 5: Wrap in a tea towel to keep soft. Eat warm, or split and fry in butter.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does soda farls take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of bicarbonate of soda?
- Baking powder, three times the amount (the bake may taste slightly different).
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