Mary Berry Soda Bread Recipe: Transform Your Baking Skills

Nothing compares to homemade bread, which envelops your home in delicious aromas. This delightful copycat recipe does not require yeast or fermentation time. Anyone can make it. It uses simple ingredients and will leave your kitchen smelling heavenly.

The preparation and baking of this bread did not exceed 60 minutes, so you don’t need to be an expert baker to prepare it at home. It's a very simple recipe, yet the result is impressive!

This copycat Mary Berry soda bread recipe is perfect for serving with butter and jam, a hearty soup, or making a filling sandwich that will satisfy and keep you full for hours!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Pro Tips
• Mary Berry Soda Bread Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil — 1 tsp.
• Butter — 6 tbsp.
• All-purpose flour — 2 ½ cups.
• Whole-wheat flour — 1 cup.
• Baking soda — 1 tsp.
• Honey — 3 tbsp.
• Salt — ½ tsp.
• Buttermilk — 1 ½ cups.
• Egg — 1 pc.

Instructions

1. Start by preheating the oven to 375°F/190°C and lightly greasing a large cast iron skillet with vegetable oil.

2. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the butter in a warm place, so it will naturally melt until ready to use. Use a knife to evenly cut the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter into cubes.

3. Put the flour with salt and baking soda in a large basin. Use a whisk to create a blend.

4. In a second bowl, add the buttermilk, egg, and honey. Mix well.

5. Add the cubed cold butter into the dry ingredients bowl. Use a dough mixer or bread machine, or your hands, to mix all the ingredients.

6. Add the prepared buttermilk mixture and mix with a spatula until all the flour is mixed in. You should get a sticky crust that adheres to the bowl's walls.

7. Prepare your working surface by powdering it with flour. The dough will be placed on the flour-dusted surface. With floured hands, bring the edges of the dough to the center so that you get a ball-shaped dough.

8. Transfer the dough into the prepared greased iron cast skillet.

9. For a special appearance, use a blade (or a knife) for notching the dough and make an 'X' shape on the top of the loaf.

10. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

11. After removing it from the oven, gently brush it with the reserved melted butter.

12. Cool for at least half an hour before slicing.

Substitutions

• Butter — If you’re looking for a substitute for butter, consider using vegetable or coconut oil, which has a similar fat profile to butter.

•  All-purpose flour — Bread flour is a suitable replacement for all-purpose flour. The only difference between the two types of flour is the protein content (higher in the all-purpose flour), which will make the dough’s texture a bit chewy.

• Whole-wheat flour — Whole-grain oat flour or spelt flour are two healthy alternatives for whole-wheat flour. They both have a similar nutritional profile and texture. There is no need to adjust the other ingredients.

• Honey — Honey adds a mild sweet touch to this bread recipe. Maple syrup and agave nectar are suitable substitutes for honey since they have a similar texture and sweetening power. An equal amount of white or brown sugar can also replace honey. The amount of liquid in the recipe may need to be adjusted if using sugar since it doesn’t have the same moisture as honey does.

Variations

• To add flavor — If you want a sweet flavor, add a handful of raisins when forming the dough. Raisins will add a sweet and slightly tangy flavor to the bread recipe.

• To add texture — Before baking the bread, sprinkle a dash of everything bagel seasoning or seed mix to add a touch of crispiness.

• Gluten-free — For a gluten-free bread recipe, you can use gluten-free flour made for baking bread. However, the result may differ from the original recipe.

Equipment

•  Knife.

• Large mixing bowl.

• Medium mixing bowl.

• Whisk.

• Dough mixer — optional.

• Iron cast skillet.

• Oven.

Storage

• Cool the bread entirely before storing it.

• You can store the bread in a cloth bag, paper, plastic wrap, or an airtight container at room temperature for a maximum of three days.

• To preserve the bread for extended periods, slice it, put it in individual paper bags, and store it in the freezer for up to 4-5 months.

Pro Tips

• The best way to thaw frozen bread is to place the slices in the microwave (for 23 minutes) or in the oven at 375°F/190°C (for at least 10 minutes).

• For a perfect warm and draft-free environment for the dough to rise, the oven can be very helpful. Keep it on for no longer than 6-8 minutes, then turn the heat off, and proceed to put the dough inside. Check that the grill is not hot but only warm, and put the bowl (make sure it is oven-safe) with dough inside. This way, the dough will rise very nicely and quickly. Check on it every 15 minutes.