Irish soda bread is a quick bread that uses baking soda as the rising agent rather than yeast.  I’ve read rave reviews about this delicious bread, so I had to try it for St. Patrick’s Day.  There are several versions with additional ingredients, such as raisins, egg, or various nuts.  I decided to start with the simple version.  The bread was more dense that I anticipated, but it was so good.  It almost tasted like a biscuit with the crunchy outside yet soft inside.  Serve warm with a little butter or jam and you’ll be in heaven.  I may have had a few drinks by the time the bread was finished, so I didn’t get a photo until the next day.  It still looks yummy!  I barely adapted this recipe from Food and Wine; I omitted the rolled oats as I didn’t have any on hand.

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda.  Add buttermilk and melted butter and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead 10 times, shape dough into a 9-inch round loaf and transfer to a baking sheet.  Slash and X on the top of the loaf about 1/4-inch deep.   Bake for 1 hour and place on wire rack to cool.  Serve warm with butter, jam, or spread.