Short on time? Irish soda bread is a great alternative to yeast risen bread. Not just for St. Patrick’s Day, this recipe slashes bread making time to the minimum. More reason to celebrate!
The Recipe
by volume by weight
2 cups all purpose flour 240 grams all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt 4 grams salt
1½ teaspoons sugar 6 grams sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda 9 grams baking soda
1 cup buttermilk 226 grams buttermilk
1 tablespoon melted butter 14 grams melted butter
Directions
Heat the oven to 375F. Sift all the dry ingredients together.
Add the buttermilk and mix just to combine. Knead lightly just to form the dough into a round.
Brush with the melted butter.
Slash an “X” in the top of the loaf approximately 1/2 inch deep.
Bake for 25 minutes until deep golden brown. Let the Irish soda bread cool completely before slicing – if you can wait! (I never can!)
Alternatives
This is a relatively traditional recipe for Irish soda bread. Some have sour cream or milk instead of buttermilk and some add an egg but the loaf is almost always plain. (Remember, this bread is a staple in what was a poor country and only the most basic ingredients were used to make bread because that was all people could afford.) You can add currants or raisins, caraway seeds, or a combination of the two. To go even further afield, modern adaptations include candied citrus peel, nuts, and even chocolate chips! While these might not stand up as normal variations they certainly add great flavor to an already wonderful recipe.
