When it comes to baking, making bread is one of the more tricky tasks to take on, but if you start with a quick basic first then it’s hard to go wrong.

One of the easier types of bread to make is soda bread as it doesn’t require yeast and can be whipped together pretty quickly.

If there’s one celebrity baker who knows everything there is to know about bread it’s Paul Hollywood and with his recipe, it’s possible to get a freshly baked loaf on the table within just 45 minutes.

And if you want to avoid a heavy, tough texture on your bread, then GBBO star Hollywood has shared his insider baking know-how for getting a perfectly light crust on your loaf.

The Great British Bake Off judge says one simple extra ingredient in your oven will result in a much lighter tasting crust which shouldn’t tear when baked into a tasty ‘golden brown’ loaf.

Hollywood says you simply need to place a roasting tray in the bottom of the oven as it heats up and just before the bread is put in to bake, fill this tray up with cold water to create a steam bath.

He explains: “For a better crust, set your oven to around 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7 and leave a roasting tray in the bottom of the oven to heat up.

“When the oven reaches the right temperature and just as you put the bread in to bake, fill the tray with cold water. This creates a steam bath in the oven which helps the bread to have a lighter crust and prevents tearing.”

To make the bread, you’ll need plain white flour, plain wholemeal flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk. There’s no yeast needed for soda bread as the acid in the buttermilk reacts with the bicarbonate of soda which makes the bread rise, so you don’t need to faff around with all the proving if you use this recipe.

The bread only takes around 30 minutes to bake, so by the time you’ve mixed the ingredients and put the dough in the oven, you should have a deliciously golden brown loaf within 45 minutes.

Ingredients

Method

1. Start by heating your oven to 200C/Gas6 and line a baking tray with parchment.

2. Combine your flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda in a mixing bowl and then make a small well in the centre before adding half the buttermilk.

3. Use your fingers to draw the flour into the buttermilk and continue adding it until all of the flour has been absorbed, leaving you with a sticky dough.

4. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball, before flattening it slightly with the palm of your hand.

5. Put the dough on a baking tray and with a knife, cut almost through to the base of it to divide it into clear quarters. Then dust the top with flour before putting it in the oven.

6. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the loaf is “golden brown” and “sounds hollow” when you tap the base.

Don’t forget to add your tray of cold water to the oven before putting your dough in to help give it a lighter crust.