Soda Farls and Potato Bread

Name: Soda Farls and Potato Bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Northern Irish
Ingredients: 250 g plain white flour; 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tsp Fine sea salt; 200 ml Buttermilk; 450 g floury potatoes; 30 g Unsalted butter; 60 g plain white flour; 40 g salted butter

Warm griddle-baked soda farls and tender potato bread, two iconic Ulster breads served fresh from the pan with salted butter.

🇬🇧United Kingdom· County Antrim and the Causeway Coast

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 45 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 340 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

250 g plain white flour — plus extra for dusting
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda — bread soda
1 tsp Fine sea salt — divided
200 ml Buttermilk — chilled
450 g floury potatoes — steamed and mashed warm
30 g Unsalted butter — melted
60 g plain white flour — for potato bread dough
40 g salted butter — for serving

Equipment

•Heavy cast-iron griddle or frying pan
•Rolling pin
•Potato masher
•Mixing bowls
•Sieve
•Clean tea towel

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 340 kcal
fat: 9 g
carbs: 56 g
fibre: 3 g
protein: 8 g
calories: 340 kcal

Instructions

1
Heat a heavy, dry griddle or cast-iron frying pan over medium-low heat on the hob.
2
Sift 250g plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, and half the salt into a large mixing bowl.
3
Add buttermilk and stir rapidly with a wooden spoon to bring into a soft, sticky dough.
4
Turn dough onto a well-floured worktop, pat into a 2cm thick circle, and cut into four triangular farls.
5
Bake farls on the dry griddle for six to eight minutes per side until lightly browned and puffed.
6
Stand farls upright on their cut edges for two minutes, then wrap in a clean tea towel.
7
Mash warm boiled potatoes thoroughly in a clean bowl until completely smooth with no lumps remaining.
8
Mix in melted butter, remaining salt, and 60g plain flour to form a soft, pliable potato dough.
9
Roll the potato dough out gently on a floured surface to roughly 5mm thickness.
10
Cut the potato dough into four triangular pieces.
11
Cook potato bread on the hot griddle for three to four minutes per side until golden-flecked.

Chef's tips

Do not overwork the soda dough or the farls will turn dense and heavy. For potato bread, ensure the mashed potatoes are still warm and dry so they absorb the flour evenly without becoming sticky. Wrapping warm soda farls in a clean tea towel keeps the crust soft while the interior finishes steaming.

Ingredient substitutions

buttermilk → 200ml whole milk mixed with 1 tbsp lemon juice, left for 5 minutes
floury potatoes → leftover cold mashed potato, gently rewarmed before mixing

Storage

Store cooled breads in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.

Reheating

Reheat farls in a toaster or warm both breads in a dry frying pan over medium heat for two minutes.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Over-kneading soda bread dough, which activates gluten and prevents a light crumb.
•Using a griddle that is too hot, causing the outside to burn before the centre cooks through.
•Adding too much flour to the potato dough, making the potato bread dry rather than tender.

Serving suggestions

Serve immediately, split and spread generously with salted Irish butter.Fry in bacon drippings alongside pork sausages and black pudding as part of an Ulster fry.Top warm potato bread with a poached egg and grilled streaky bacon.