Cooking with Kids: How to make an easy, child-friendly traditional soda bread recipe

Pic: iStock

Irish soda breads are some of the simplest breads to make and there is a beauty in that simplicity.

They are a great starting point for children because they can see the results of their labour quite quickly. 

When you are using yeast, which is in many other types of bread, you need time to let it rise and you also need to ensure that it is at the right temperature as it does so.

The soda in soda bread is the raising agent and it helps the bread rise during baking so there is no waiting around beforehand.

If children do bake a loaf, it can be used for school lunch sandwiches. It can be tricky to strike the right balance for school lunches, one that keeps both kids and parents happy with enough sustenance to be healthy but also to be tasty.

Giving young people input into what goes into the lunchbox helps, so bread they made themselves could be one way to get a tasty and healthy sandwich into the box.

A handful of different seeds can be added to either bread recipe if you want to add some extra goodness.

To make a Spotted Dick just add 150g of raisins to the white soda bread. It is delicious served warm with some butter melting through it.

White Soda Bread

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

An easy way for young chefs to bake an Irish staple.

Servings

1

Preparation Time

 25 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 450g plain white flour

• 1 tsp bread soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 egg

• 440ml buttermilk

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 250ºC/gas mark 9. Grease a 2lb loaf tin and cut a long piece of parchment to sit on the base of the tin. This will help you get the loaf out in the end.

2. Sieve your flour, the bread soda and salt into a big bowl and make a well in the centre.

3. Mix the egg and butter milk together until they are combined. Pour this into the well in the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until everything is together and looks like a dough.

4. Scoop the dough onto a countertop that is sprinkled with some flour and gently shape it with your hands into a sausage shape the same length as your tin. Put the dough into the tin and use a knife to make slit in the top of the loaf.

5. Bake for 15 minutes at 250ºC temperature then turn it down to 200ºC /gas mark 6 and bake for another 30 minutes.

Traditional Brown Soda Bread

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

A kid-friendly variation on an Irish classic.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 300g brown flour

• 100g porridge oats

• 300g plain white flour

• 1 tsp of bread soda

• ½ tsp of salt

• 1 tsp of honey

• 1 egg

• 420mls buttermilk

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 250ºC/gas mark 9. Cut a large square of parchment the size to place on top of a baking tray.

2. Put the brown flour and porridge oats into a large bowl and stir them together.

3. Sieve the white flour, bread soda and salt in on top of the oats and brown flour and mix everything. Make a well in the centre.

4. Stir the honey, egg and buttermilk together. Pour this mixture into the well in the flour and mix in it with a wooden spoon. Then use your hands to scoop it onto a countertop that is sprinkled with flour. Shape it into a round shape and then put it onto the parchment covered baking tray. Use a knife to cut a cross shape in the top of the loaf.

5. Bake for 10 minutes at 250ºC temperature then turn it down to 200ºC /gas mark 6 and bake for another 30 minutes.

Chocolate-covered bananas.

Activity: Chocolate-covered bananas

When making chocolate banana pops it is best to use bananas that are ripe but still quite firm. 

A squishy banana will not stay on the stick very well. 

To make them you will need 225g of chocolate broken into small pieces. 

Put this into a microwave to melt it or ask an adult to help you melt it over a pot of hot water. 

Then cut two bananas into three chunks each and push a lollipop stick into each chunk. 

Dip these into the chocolate one at a time, and gently roll them about so that the whole banana is coated. 

Place it onto a piece of baking parchment to cool. 

If you like you can dip the pops into some chopped nuts before the chocolate firms back up.