Recipes below

The baking tradition is one of the richest and most varied aspects of Ireland's culinary heritage. From the very earliest times , bread-making was an integral part of daily life in almost every home, and is still a living tradition..
For centuries, thin oatcakes were made on a bakestone or griddle over the open fire. Later, breads were leavened with sourdough and barm made from beer, sowans (the fermented juice of oat husks) and fermented potato juice. Surprisingly, it was not until the first half of the 19th century that bicarbonate of soda was introduced, enabling cooks to bake the wide range of soda breads for which is Ireland is now so famous.
Even in the poorest country cabin, fresh soda bread would have been mixed on a wooden baking board and baked on the griddle, or in the pot oven or Bastible, over the embers of the turf fire. Soda bread can be made from all white or a mixture of white and brown flour, white soda bread is often referred to as cake bread. The word bastible seems to be a bastardization of the name Barnstaple, the town in Devon where these iron baking pots were made.
The traditional skills of breadmaking were passed on from mother to daughter and were a great source of pride. It was a compliment of the highest order to be described as having 'a light hand with the baking'
Like many other children I began my cooking career at my mother's side while she made the daily soda bread. As soon as she reached for the mixing bowl, I'd don my apron and pester her for a little piece of dough to make a cistin beag. This was a tiny loaf shaped into a round just like Mummy made. I'd solemnly cut a cross on top with a knife and my little cistin was baked beside her big loaf in the Aga. The result was often a bit tough and rather too crusty from my over-enthusiastic handling, nonetheless I was delighted with it.
Now, Tim and I carry on this tradition at the Ballymaloe Cookery School and every day we teach students from all over the world how to make the crusty soda loaves marked with the traditional cross and explain the importance of letting the fairies out so they don't 'jinx your bread'!
Soda bread, both brown and white, deserve to be better known outside Ireland, they are literally made in minutes and emerge from the oven 30-45 minutes later, crusty and delicious. There are many recipes which have been handed down from generation to generation. When I was doing research for my Traditional Food book (published by Kyle Cathie 1995)````````
I spent many happy times collecting recipes from older people in their homes and was astonished at the number of variations on the soda bread theme. Yellow Meal Bread, Treacle Bread, Seedy Bread (with Caraway Seeds), Spotted Dog (see below), Goaty Bread (made from Goats' Milk), Griddle Bread….
Later, when I wrote Food for Family and Friends (Gill & Macmillan, 1993) I decided to use our traditional White Soda Bread as a pizza base, with many exciting toppings. I even made Olive and Rosemary Bread and Sundried Tomato, Cheddar Cheese and Chutney and recently in cahoots with Paul and Jeanne Rankin and their children we added chocolate chips, so Stripy Cat was born. My ancestors must be turning in their graves - have fun!

White Soda Bread
White Soda Scones