Rick Stein shares delicious wholemeal bread recipe made with just 5 ingredients

By Phoebe Cornish, Senior Lifestyle Reporter

Rick Stein shares delicious wholemeal bread recipe made with just 5 ingredients (Image: Getty)

Making bread from scratch has many benefits, not least the glorious aroma that wafts from the oven as it bakes.

Complicated and time-consuming recipes are the drawbacks for many people wanting to knead their dough from scratch, but there is a way around it.

British chef Rick Stein has shared his recipe for a popular "quick bread" called soda bread. This simple loaf is traditionally of Irish origin and made with four staple ingredients: flour, baking soda, buttermilk and salt.

For those worried about bread's nutritional value, homemade soda bread is a healthier option than a white supermarket loaf because it is made with whole wheat flour, a good fibre source.

Sharing his straightforward formula in a recipe from his BBC show, Rick Stein's Cornwall, the Padstow-based chef emphasised that wholemeal bread tastes best when "freshly baked" and recommended serving it with a "smooth and creamy" soup, like his Cullen skink.

Irish soda bread is know as a "quick" bread with no proving time required (Image: Getty)

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Homemade soda bread has the added benefit of being free from preservatives and artificial ingredients, which are known to damage overall health and, more specifically, the gut.

The downside is that loaves free from preservatives won't last as long once cooked, so it's important to follow the right storage method for optimum freshness.

Many experts agree that once the bread has been sliced, it's best stored with the sliced side face down on a wooden chopping board and covered with a clean, dry tea towel or cheesecloth.

Alternatively, slice the bread up and freeze it in sealed freezer bags or an airtight container for up to three months.

Freshly baked bread should be cooled before storing (Image: Getty)

Rick Stein's bread recipe

Ingredients

250g wholemeal flour

250g plain white flour

1.5tsp table salt

One tsp bicarbonate of soda

425ml buttermilk

First, preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas six, then grease a large baking tray big enough for the loaf to spread out and rise while it cooks in the oven.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl for the soda bread dough. To ensure optimal texture, adding the buttermilk after the flour is important rather than mixing them together simultaneously.

Add the buttermilk gradually until you have a soft dough with no lumps. For the kneading, which Rick says should be kept to a "minimum", you'll need a knife and a clean surface covered lightly with flour.

Turn the dough onto the surface and shape it into a disc five to six centimetres thick, with as little movement as possible. Cut a cross on the top using a sharp knife, cutting through about half of the dough.

Dust the top with more flour to stop it from sticking, then place the loaf on the greased baking tray and bake for about 30 minutes.

You'll know the bread is cooked properly when it's well-risen and crusty, and the loaf sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped. The bread is delicious when enjoyed warm; it's important to first leave it to on a wire rack.