Soda bread should really be on the table more often. Its generally (at least in my part of the world) only made to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and its such a shame.
Soda bread is so comforting and hearty. It’s simple to make, takes few ingredients, and hardly any time at all (other than baking). It’s a rustic, dense bread that is great for soaking up liquids.
I love to serve it with a good stew or soup. And when it’s paired with butter and jam, magic happens.
I tried making this bread with several different types of flour and here’s what I found out:
All-purpose gave the best end texture. Not too dense, with a slightly fluffy chew. Cake flour was a disaster and I ended up throwing the whole loaf away because the texture was so unappealing. Bread flour worked out pretty well, but was a bit too chewy for my taste. I would imagine a whole grain flour would be quite nice with this bread, given it’s rustic nature.
Don’t have buttermilk on hand? No worries. Just pour the milk in a small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Stir and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then use just as you would buttermilk!
Soda Bread
Serves: Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 3 cups All-purpose Flour
- 5 tablespoons Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Egg
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons Buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons Butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder & baking soda in a large bowl and whisk together.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Place the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter in well and whisk together with a fork. Stir all of the ingredients together with the fork, then use your hands to continue mixing it into a dough. Once the mixture has come together, shape into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Pat the dough down a bit so that it the round is about 2" tall. Score the top of the round with a very sharp knife.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown on top and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
- Cut into wedges and serve with butter and jam.
