Traditional Soda Bread
Hello everyone,
Saint Patrick's Day is a few days away! Lucky for you, I'm here with soda bread fun facts and a traditional soda bread recipe. Bake up a loaf and enjoy the compliments because everyone enjoys freshly baked bread.
Soda bread is widely credited with being an Irish creation, but according to the Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread, soda bread was originally created by Native Americans before the 1800s. However, it was popularized by the Irish with Ireland's first recipe for soda bread dating back to 1836.
Soda bread's popularity in Ireland comes from its abundance of soft wheat flour which reacts well with baking soda. The bread could also be baked in a hearth. This was important as many people did not have an oven at the time.
Creating soda bread requires just four ingredients. Its' crust and compact (yet slightly chewy) crumb make it an exceptional bread to bake for the upcoming Saint Patrick's Day. However, it is a delightful choice of bread to make all year long.
Soda Bread
16 oz (4 cups) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
14 oz (1.75 cups) buttermilk
1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a 4 or 5 quart dutch oven with parchment paper.
3. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
4. Pour buttermilk into the flour mixture and combine gently until all the buttermilk is incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.
5. Immediately transfer dough to parchment lined dutch oven. Loosely shape dough into a ball and score an X into the top of the dough with a knife.
6. Cover the dutch oven with a lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid of the dutch oven and bake uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes until the bread is cooked through.
#TedoneTips
1. Incorporate buttermilk until just combined as over handling the bread dough may make it tough.
2. Scoring an X on the wet dough may be tough, but try the best you can. Scoring the X helps with the rise of the bread and to make sure the middle is cooked through.
3. When the bread is finished baking, insert a toothpick through the middle of the bread. It should come out clean. If not, return bread to the oven for a few more minutes and recheck.
4. When handling the hot dutch oven, always use oven mitts. If you burn yourself it will hurt (trust me!)
appy baking!
