Emergency bread

I meant to post this on Saturday, but got distracted by something more interesting, so here it is...

  I forgot to put any bread on to rise on Friday, and since I'd already done one trip to the supermarket, I definitely wasn't going back just for bread, so I bashed out some soda bread in 30 minutes flat while Teddy grabbed a post-toddler-group nap.

Most recipes call for buttermilk, but I didn't have any (does anyone actually keep buttermilk in their fridge as a staple?), so I just used normal milk, and the end result was delicious. Probably a shade denser than a buttermilk one would be (I'm guessing this on the basis that buttermilk pancakes are lighter than normal ones), but excellent and, crucially, quick!

Emergency bread:

400g plain white flour
1 tsp caster sugar
 1/2 tsp salt
 275ml milk (or buttermilk, if you're the kind of domestic goddess that has buttermilk kicking around your fridge)

1. Heat the oven to 230 degrees Centigrade. Weight out the dry ingredients, make a well in the centre, pour in the milk
2. Using your hand like a claw (or a fork or something, if you're clean and tidy by nature and don't like doughy hands), combine the ingredients until you have something resembling bread dough. I think you're meant to not over-knead it, so I stopped mixing/kneading/clawing  pretty much as soon as everything was combined. If your dough is very dry, feel free to toss in a bit more milk - most recipes seem to call for more than the amount I used, but i found that it was plenty.
3. Flour a 7" cake tin, or other cooking receptacle (a cake tin was what I had on hand, and I figured it would stop the bread spreading in case it was soggy). Dollop your dough into the tin and cut a cross in the centre using a sharp knife (this is meant to keep evil spirits out or somesuch)
4. Cook for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 200 and cook for a further 20-30 mins. The bread is cooked when it sounds hollow if you tap it on the base.
5. Slice, load with butter, and scoff with the super speedy jerusalem artichoke soup that you knocked up while waiting for the bread to cook (the recipe for which can be found in the fantabulous Tender, by Nigel Slater). 
6. Feel slightly smug.
7. Wish you had a nicer apron to feel all domestic-goddessy in.

Edited to add: I have no idea why the bread is such a freaky colour in this picture. it was definitely yellow tinged, but not quite so fluorescent! I really want a new camera.

Comments

[Steph]

I've read that you can 'make' buttermilk by adding 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon to I think a cup of regular mlk. I have no idea how that makes it buttery, I guess it sours it a bit? I've also seen powdered buttermilk at the organic store, maybe worth keeping on hand if you use a lot of it?

[Islay]

Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely try that next time.