Place a cast iron pot (dutch oven) into a cold oven and preheat to 190c

Sieve and mix the flour, oats, xanthum gum, soda, citric acid and sugar in a mixing bowl until everything is combined together nicely.

Make a well and mix the buttermilk and water to form a sticky dough. At this stage, it will be quite sticky, but we will add more flour so we can work with the dough.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. There should be enough flour to coat the dough so it’s no longer sticky and it can be moulded into the shape of a round loaf. Unlike regular Irish soda bread, you can work and knead the dough until you get the required firmness as there is no gluten to overwork.

Before I put the bread in the cast iron pot, I place my shaped loaf on a piece of baking paper to prevent any sticking and it makes it easier to transfer it the pot.

With a knife, cut a cross into the bread as this allows the bread to cook evenly and help the bread rise and split in the correct places. I’ve seen different ways of doing this, but the way that works best for me is to make cuts in quarters throughout the bread dough. I don’t go all the way to the middle and I leave a small section of un-cut dough in the centre. There is no right or wrong way, but this is how I do it.

After 40 minutes, remove the lid and let the bread cook for 10 minutes longer uncovered.

The bread should have an internal temperature of about 90-95c so you know its cooked. But 50 minutes in the oven should do the trick.

Allow the bread to cool down on a wire rack before cutting. Enjoy!