No Yeast Spelt Soda Bread with Chia Seeds (ready in less than one hour)

This rustic spelt soda bread is quick and simple to make. Perfect for a no fuss weekend brunch, the bread is ready to eat in less than an hour. Made with nutritious wholegrain spelt flour and chia seeds, the recipes is easily adapted to suit your preferences.

Regular readers will know I love my bread machine. I hate kneading, you see, and a bread machine takes all that pesky stickiness and hard work out of the equation. The only drawback is that is is a long process. Sometimes you don’t want to wait hours for your bread fix. Enter: soda bread.

Soda bread makes a great brunch

I woke up one Sunday and really fancied a nice bit of bread and a boiled egg for brunch. The only thing on offer was mass-produced white sliced bread tucked away in the freezer for emergencies. I remembered watching a Jamie Oliver video about him making soda bread. No yeast, he’d said. Quick to make. And no kneading. Yes, it sounded exactly what I was looking for.

Soda bread has its modern day roots in Ireland (but was first eaten by native Americans), and history says that it first made an appearance in the 1830s. It’s apparently traditionally eaten around St Patrick’s Day, although I didn’t know that. Who cares though? Bread as simple and yummy as this should be eaten any time, surely? For more information about soda bread, check out my wholemeal spelt soda bread post.

Soda bread is so adaptable

I looked around at a few recipes and this spelt soda bread is a kind of mishmash of everyone else’s. It’s not traditional. Of course, spelt flour (both wholemeal and white) needed to factor in the equation. I also decided to throw in some chia seeds because, well, why not?

I can’t tell you how easy and quick this was. It looked rustic (part of its undeniable charm) and tasted so good. It also rose higher than I’d expected, too. With no yeast or eggs, I wasn’t expecting a great rise, but that’s what I got.

I used a mixture of Greek yoghurt and milk as the liquid, but I’ve seen buttermilk in many recipes. I am sure you could get away with just milk, too. It feels like an easy-go-lucky kind of bread, if you ask me.

Since first discovering the delights and simplicity of soda bread (which is a kind of quick bread), I’ve made so many different kinds, including cheddar soda bread, which is rather like a cheese scone in texture. I’ve also dabbled with sweet versions, such as cinnamon and raisin below:

Using a skillet in baking

I really enjoy using a skillet as much as I can, especially when I am taking photos. My adoration is so great that I created a Pinterest group called Skillet Love. I also threw together some of my favourite recipes in my 18 stunning skillet recipe round-up.

You don’t need to use a skillet, though. Most of my subsequent soda bread recipes were baked on a regular baking tray.

What to serve with spelt soda bread

It doesn’t get much better than cutting a chunk, still warm from the oven, and slathering over some butter. I often eat it exactly like that. The brunch I enjoyed while taking photos including egg and red peppers, and it was delicious. Sometimes I like to sprinkle over a little grated cheddar cheese and add some cucumber. As a pescatarian, I don’t eat meat, but some smoked salmon would also work amazingly well. For meat eaters amongst us, ham, bacon or sausage would all fit together to make an awesome brunch or breakfast.

overhead shot of soda bread with a slice on a plate, eggs, and red peppers on a wooden board

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Spelt Soda Bread (ready to eat in less than an hour)

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Irish

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Ingredients

220g (1¾ cups) wholegrain spelt flour (see note 1)
240g (2 cups) white spelt flour (see note 1)
15g (1 tbsp) chia seeds
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
200g (¾ cup + 1 tbs) Greek yoghurt
250ml (1 cup) milk

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (400℉).
Grease a skillet - mine is 25cm (10") in diameter. Alternatively, line an oven tray with baking paper.
Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the milk and Greek yoghurt together.
Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. The dough should be slightly tacky but not too wet or too dry.
Pat into a round shape (do not overwork, just form into a rough shape).
Place into the skillet and with the back of your hand, push the top down so it flattens slightly, and almost fills the skillet. If using a baking sheet, just flatten it slightly.
Take a large knife, and score a deep cross on top of the dough, almost down to the bottom.
Bake for 30 minutes, until nice and golden. The bottom should sound hollow when tapped.
Allow to cool for a while, then serve warm, topped with jam or egg.

Notes

I have converted grams to cups/ounces/tablespoons using online converters. Although I have no reason to believe they are inaccurate, please be aware that I have not made this recipe with imperial measurements.

You can use any kind of flour in place of spelt (without any need to amend the specified amount). You can also choose to use all white flour, or to change the ratio of white/wholemeal flour however you like.