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Soda farls

Name: Soda farls
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Makes 4
Ingredients: 400g plain flour, plus extra to dust; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tsp salt; 300ml buttermilk

By: Cherie Denham

Published: 15 Jan 24
Updated: 25 Mar 24

Cherie Denham shares a favourite family recipe for soda farls, the traditional Irish bake of flattened and griddled soda bread cut into quarters (or ‘farls’). Scroll down to read Cherie’s memories of how her grandmother used to make them.

Recipe taken from The Irish Bakery (Montgomery Press £27) and tested by delicious.

Keep our easy plain soda bread recipe handy, too.

Easy
January 2024

Test kitchen approved

Makes 4
Hands-on time 30 min

Recipe taken from The Irish Bakery (Montgomery Press £27) and tested by delicious.

Keep our easy plain soda bread recipe handy, too.

Freezable

Nutrition: Per farl

Calories: 384kcals
Fat: 1.9g (0.5g saturated)
Protein: 13g
Carbohydrates: 76g (4.6g sugars)
Fibre: 4.4g
Salt: 2.1g

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Ingredients

400g plain flour, plus extra to dust
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
300ml buttermilk

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Method

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl. Pour in the buttermilk, gently mixing everything together with a spatula or large round edged table knife. Stir in 55ml cold water until you have a soft dough – it should be not too dry but not too sticky. Add 1-2 tbsp more water if it feels dry.
Shape the dough into a ball, then lightly flour the worktop and gently roll it into a 1cm thick circle. Sprinkle the dough with extra flour and, using a large knife, cut the circle into quarters.
Heat a heavy-based frying pan or griddle pan over a medium heat. When hot, put the farls in the pan (in batches if needed). Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side until lightly browned.

Stand the farls up on their cut sides and cook for an additional 1 minute per side, then wrap in a clean tea towel to keep warm until you’re ready to serve.

Recipe from January 2024 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 384kcals
Fat: 1.9g (0.5g saturated)
Protein: 13g
Carbohydrates: 76g (4.6g sugars)
Fibre: 4.4g
Salt: 2.1g

delicious. tips

Cherie says: “My Granny Neill would mix her farl ingredients with an old bone handled knife. She’d turn out the dough onto her floured baking board, gently shape it into a flat round and cut it into farls (the Ulster Scots word for quarters).

She’d wrap the baked farls in an old (clean) pillowcase to keep them soft, filling her home with the aroma of comfort and warmth. Granda Neill cut his into fingers, slathered them with butter and dipped them into a soft-boiled goose egg. My favourite way is to open them up and fill them with fried eggs and bacon.”