Irish Soda Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today is usually a day where we celebrate all things Irish with green – green clothes, green eggs, green beer. I noticed a lot of mini cupcakes dressed in their greenest icing and decorations being carried out in shopping carts at the market yesterday.

I made my Pistachio Mousse Cheesecake last night and today will be making a corned beef and cabbage supper with tiny potatoes and carrots cooked with the cabbage and corned beef. To sop up all that wonderful gravy, I’m also making Irish soda bread, sliced extra thin. Yummm! My family and I can hardly wait!

Irish soda bread is different from any other bread you will ever bake. It’s typically round and can be whole wheat or white. The whole wheat soda bread, which we enjoy, is also known as wheaten bread in parts of Ireland. I usually bake it in an 8-inch round greased cake pan. It has a cross cut into the top of the loaf with a very sharp knife before baking. The cross spreads open during baking and gives the bread its iconic shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Irish soda bread has no fat and no yeast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The texture is soft and velvety, not chewy like yeast bread. To be authentic, it must be sliced very thin and then buttered (also great with jam). It is a tasty breakfast bread. For my family, we enjoy it with Irish stew or with a corned beef and cabbage dinner. This recipe is inspired by my bread baking mentor, James Beard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder

1 ½ to 2 cups buttermilk

Preparation:

Preheat oven: 375°F.

Grease an 8-inch cake pan or cookie sheet.

Method:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
2. Add the buttermilk, beginning with 1 ½ cups, to make a soft dough – similar to a biscuit dough.
3. Knead gently only enough to bring the dough together and have the dough soft and smooth.
4. Place in greased baking pan.
5. Using your sharpest non-serrated knife, cut a cross into the top of the loaf.
6. Bake in preheated oven until loaf sounds hollow when rapped with your knuckles and is brown.
7. Cool to lukewarm on cooling rack before slicing and serving – if you can wait that long.

 

Tags: Irish, soda bread, St. Patrick's Day, wheaten bread, whole wheat soda bread

Category: Breads & Buns