Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bead - MS Word document for downloading

All the recipes for Irish Soda Bread I came across used buttermilk. This is an ingredient I don’t think I have ever bought, although it is available in the supermarkets.

Like everybody else, I occasionally run out of bread. I was very pleased to find a recipe that didn’t use buttermilk and still gave a very good result. With the following recipe, you can use buttermilk if you have it in stock, or you can use plain milk. If you do this, double the quantity of cream of tartar. The less Soda bread is handled, the better it will be. It is traditionally baked with a cross on the top, which people believed would scare away the devil.

This quantity makes 1 large loaf, or two small (enough for 4 people with soup).

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 40-50 minutes at 210C - Gas Mark 7 or halve the cooking time for 2 smaller loaves.

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I particularly like freshly made Irish Soda Bread with home made soup for lunch on cold damp winter days. It’s very quick to make and even quicker in a processor. As it freezes well, why not double the quantity?

Ingredients and Shopping List.

• 500g (1lb) plain flour (wholemeal or white, or a mixture)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1½ tsp cream of tartar
• 2 tbs white vegetable fat or butter
• 300 ml (10 fl oz) buttermilk.

Method.

1. Pre-heat the oven: 210C - Gas Mark 7.
2. Sieve the flour, salt, bicarb and cream of tartar into a bowl.
3. Rub in the fat and add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough.
4. Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured board and knead for 1 minute.
5. Shape into a round and place on a greased baking sheet.
6. Mark with the traditional cross, cutting deeply into the dough.
7. Bake fro 40-50 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the base.
8. Cool on a wire rack and serve warm.

Soda Bread can be frozen for 4-6 months. It will take about 4 hours to defrost at room temperature or 40 minutes in the oven from frozen.