Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread

Although two of my grandparents are from Ireland, and I have relatives there who run a bakery in Dublin, sadly I have no family soda bread recipes to cherish, bake or share, and so it was off to the Internet to find one. I found gazillions of  recipes, and all include the primary ingredients of  flour, baking soda and buttermilk.  Optional add-ins include raisins, currants and/or caraway seeds.

Based on pure instinct (or was it the spirit of Gramama O’Brien?) I took what I considered the best of several recipes and developed this one. The result, as Gramama would say in her thick Irish brogue, is “Grand!”. The bread is thick but not too dense, moist and tasty.

I did not include add-ins, but they can be easily added in amounts indicated. I especially love the idea of cooking it in a cast-iron pan, which comes from Simply Recipes.

• 4-4 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tbls white sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbls baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbls melted butter
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 4 tbls butter, melted - for topping (optional)
• 1/4 cup buttermilk - for topping (optional)
• 1 cup currants or raisins (optional add-in)
• 1 tbls caraway seeds (optional add-in)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (190 degrees C), and lightly grease a cast-iron frying pan or baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and butter. Mix thoroughly and then create a well in the middle, where you will add the buttermilk and egg.
3. Combine buttermilk and egg and beat lightly. Add to the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon. If the dough seems too wet, add more flour, up to a half a cup. Dough should begin to form a ball.
4. Flour your hands and knead the dough slightly on a lightly floured surface, for a minute or two. Again, add flour as needed for wettish dough.
5. Form the dough into a round mound shape and place in the greased skillet or baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut a cross on top, from end to end.
6. Let the dough sit for about 30 minutes. This allows the baking soda and powder to react and rise, creating an airier bread.
7. For the topping, combine buttermilk and butter and mix well with fork. Brush all over the dough and place in the oven. Brush a few times during baking.
8. Cook for about 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cooking time varies upon ovens and what the bread is cooked on. Using the skillet may take longer, but the heat is distributed well, and the bread will be cooked thoroughly. To ensure that the bread is cooked in the middle, insert a skewer in the middle and if it comes out dry, the bread should be ready.

Tags: bread, cast-iron pan, Irish