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.
