Irish Soda Bread

A quick and easy yeast-free bread

 

We ate soda bread daily in Ireland. At its best, soda bread is an airy hybrid of a fine yeast bread and a southern style biscuit. At its worst it more closely resembles a sturdy building material. Soda breads began to appear in the mid-nineteenth century as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) became available as a leavening agent. In order to act as a leavening agent the soda needs to be mixed with an acid, in this case buttermilk. Since the mid-eighteen hundreds, soda breads have caught on in many parts of the world because they are cheap and easy to bake. In Ireland, two types of soda bread—white and brown (made with whole wheat flour)—are often served for breakfast with butter and jam. It also makes a perfect accompaniment to a creamy seafood chowder (see my recipe).

                                                             

The best soda bread we tasted by far was at the Milestone House in Dingle. Michael and Barbara, the proprietors of the B&B, were kind enough to share their recipe (which I’ve reproduced below with only minor alterations). Even though Michael warns that making soda bread takes practice, this recipe produced awesome results even the first time I tried it.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 lb (450g) plain white flour (ideally a low-gluten flour such as a cake or pastry flour – I use high altitude flour since I live at 7000 feet)

1t of salt

1t baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

14 fluid ounces (400ml or 1¾ c) buttermilk

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 475°F (250°C)
  2. Sift the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in all of the buttermilk.
  4. Using a kitchen fork, stir the mixture from the center out, lifting the fork to introduce air. Stir until the mixture is almost uniform, but do not over-mix.
  5. Using your hands (they will get coated) gently bring the dough together (handle as little as possible).
  6. For a round loaf, shape the dough into a round ball, and place it on a lightly floured baking sheet or baking stone. Cut an “X” across the top. Or, for a rectangular loaf, shape the dough into a 8-9” inch roll and place in a greased 9 x 5” bread pan.
  7. Place in the center rack of a preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. The crust should be hard and well browned. The loaf should sound hollow when you tap on the underside.
  8. Cool on a tray or upside down.

 

Thanks again to Michael and Barbara Carroll for providing their recipe. If you want to taste the best soda bread in Ireland, visit them at the Milestone House in Dingle. www.milestonedingle.com/‎