Saint Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated every year on the 17th of March. This is a day when all people can“Go Green” and be Irish for a day. Many Irish recipes show up around this time each year. One of them being Irish Soda Bread. It is quick and easy to make and has many variations. The recipe here focuses on the traditional way of making this celebratory bread.
Traditional Irish Soda bread is basically a soda bread that has none of the following: raisins, yeast, eggs, or any significant amounts of sugar. It is bread, not a cake! It is very hard to find the authentic version of Irish soda bread in America. And, it’s nearly impossible to find it without raisins.
Traditional Irish soda bread uses baking soda, instead of yeast as a leavening agent, and it contains only flour, buttermilk, and salt. The buttermilk’s acidity reacts with the baking soda to produce the gasses needed to raise the dough. This is what gives this bread its very distinctive taste. The many variations out there can be equal to, and even at times more delicious than, their classic counterpart, but should never be classified as a real McCoy!
Irish Soda Bread
( 4-loaves )
Ingredients
- 800 g (28 oz.) – Wheat flour
- 400 g (14 oz.)- Flour ( all-purpose ), plus a little extra for kneading and dusting
- 2 tsp – Baking soda
- 2 tsp – Salt
- 900 ml – (3.75 cups) – Buttermilk
Procedure
- Preheat the oven to 450-f (230-c)
- Mix the wheat and plain flours, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- Make a well in the center, pour in the buttermilk, and mix into a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until it comes together into a ball.
- Cut in half and knead each piece briefly into a smooth round.
- Do not over-knead! It will make the bread heavy.
Slightly flatten each round into 1-1/2 inch ( 4cm) thick discs, then place them far enough apart to allow for spreading on a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour. - Using a large, sharp knife, cut a large cross into each loaf, being careful as to not cut all the way through the bottom.
Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 400°F (180°C) and bake for another 10 minutes until well-risen with a golden-brown crust. - The loaves should sound hollow when you tap their bases.
- This is a good way to test for doneness when baking most bread and this method works well with these soda bread as well.
- Remove from oven and let cook cool on a wire rack. Serve with some delicious Irish butter.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
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