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Preheat the oven to 250deg C
Makes 1 loaf
450g (1lb, 31/2 cups) plain flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
300-600ml (1/2 – 1 pint, 1 1/4 – 2 1/2 cups) sour milk or buttermilk
Sieve the dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre.
Pour in all the milk at once. Using 1 hand, with your fingers stiff and outstretched like a claw, stir in a full circular movement from the centre to the outside of the bowl in ever increasing circles. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well-floured work surface. Wash and dry your hands. Tidy it up and flip over gently. Pat the dough into a round, about 4cm deep.
Cut a deep cross on the loaf and prick in the four corners.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes then turn down to 200deg C for 30 minutes until cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread, when it is cooked it will sound hollow. Cool on a wire rack.
Tip! Soda breads are best eaten on the day they are made, but are still good the next day.
Follow the recipe above adding: 1 dessert spoon of sugar, 100g sultanas, 1 egg.
Add the sugar and the sultanas with the flour and drop the egg in with the milk before missing. Spotted dog is also called railway cake in some parts of Ireland.
Follow the spotted dog recipe replacing the sultanas with 75g of roughly chopped best quality chocolate.
Come to savour culinary delights at Ballymaloe House Hotel.BOOK YOUR STAY

This quick and delicious recipe can be adapted to make a larger tart, and topped with any fruit you like.
Makes 24 mini almond tartlets or 2 x 18cm tarts
110g butter
110g caster sugar
110g ground almond
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Celebrity Chef
Rachel Allen’s pan-fried fish with herb butter, asparagus, new potatoes.
Serves: 4-6
For the herb butter:
For the pan-fried fish:
I adore this delicious and nutritious soup. It’s great either for family suppers or for a dinner party. The soup can be frozen and the Dubliner toasts prepared in advance, then grilled at the last moment. Ideal if you need a meal in an instant. Rachel Allen
Melt the butter in a medium to large saucepan, and add the potatoes and onion, salt and pepper. Cover with a piece of wax paper and sweat over a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the broccoli florets from the stalk. Using a small knife, remove the outer layer of skin from the stalk and discard, then chop the stalk into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to the onion and potato, cover and sweat for a further 5 minutes. Add the hot stock to the potatoes, onion and broccoli stalk, bring up to a boil, then add the chopped broccoli florets. Boil without the lid over a high heat for 4–5 minutes until soft, then add the cream. Remove from the heat, puree in a blender and season to taste.To make the Dubliner toasts, toast the bread on both sides, sprinkle with grated Dubliner Cheese and pop under a hot grill or into a hot oven for 2 minutes or until the cheese melts. Cut the toast into fingers and serve on the side with the soup.