I have a love/hate relationship with Paul Hollywood. He comes across as a really cocky guy on his TV show. But I will admit that he does have talent. So here is Paul Hollywood’s Soda Bread recipe.
On one episode of his TV show, he made this Quick Soda Bread. I immediately noticed he did not use any yeast so he did not have to let the dough rise. That prompted me to give Paul’s Soda Bread recipe a try.
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What is Soda Bread
Soda Bread is a type of quick bread that uses baking soda instead of yeast. The buttermilk in the dough contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to form tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide.
An advantage of quick bread is their ability to be prepared quickly and reliably, without requiring the time-consuming skilled labor and temperature control needed for traditional yeast bread.
Buttermilk Substitution
If you don’t have Buttermilk on hand, you can use this trick as a substitute: Add one tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring cup. Add milk and fill to the 1 cup measurement line. Stir the mixture together and let sit for 5 minutes.
Another option is to use a cultured buttermilk blend. All you need to do is add water. I was very skeptical at first but in a pinch it works great!
Metric Conversion
Paul’s original recipe lists the quantities using the metric system. If you are in the US or a country that does not use the metric system, let me help you out. You will need a “heavy” cup of each of the flours. Actually, 1.06 cups to be precise. As for the buttermilk, you will need a little over 1 3/4 cups, 1.77 cups to be precise.
You might also want to try my Traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe or my Super Simple Soda Bread. Delicious! While you are at it, make sure you check out my collection of Bread Recipes.
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Quick Soda Bread recipe (see recipe card for quantities): Whole Wheat Flour, All Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Salt and Buttermilk.
How to Make Paul’s Quick Soda Bread
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the two types of flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the buttermilk and mix until a sticky dough forms.
- Lightly flour a work surface and tip the dough onto it.
- Gently roll and fold the dough a couple of times to bring the mixture together. Do not knead.
- Shape the dough into a ball. Flatten the ball gently with your hand. Score the dough with a deep cross dividing it into quarters. Dust the bread with flour.
- Place onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. The loaf should be golden brown.
- Leave to cool on a wire rack. This is best eaten on the day of baking.
Paul’s Quick Soda Bread
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Ingredients
- 250 g Whole Wheat Flour
- 250 g All Purpose Flour
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 420 ml Buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the two types of flour, baking soda and salt.
- Add the buttermilk and mix until a sticky dough forms.
- Lightly flour a work surface and tip the dough onto it.
- Gently roll and fold the dough a couple of times to bring the mixture together. Do not knead.
- Shape the dough into a ball. Flatten the ball gently with your hand. Score the dough with a deep cross dividing it into quarters. Dust the bread with flour.
- Place onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. The loaf should be golden-brown.
- Leave to cool on a wire rack. This is best eaten on the day of baking.
Notes
Decided to try this after seeing Paul make it look so easy. 30 minutes at 400F is definately still a bit under. Will probably shoot for 35 minutes next time.
Thanks for the feedback. All ovens are different so adjusting the time for your specific equipment is the correct thing to do.
Why would you change the recipe? The amount of the buttermilk is 400ml not 420!
I double-checked Paul’s recipe for this bread in his cookbook that I have and it is indeed 420 ml of buttermilk.