Irish Soda Bread Recipe

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If you can't get buttermilk very easily ( which I can't, without a trek into the unknown with pith helmet and a team of bearers) unflavoured, unsweetened yoghourt makes an excellent substitute.

I can find buttermilk in my local stores, but it is expensive and I never seem to be able to use a quart of it before it goes bad. I make small amounts of a buttermilk/sour milk substitute by placing a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in the bottom of a one cup measure and then filling it with milk and waiting five minutes for it to sour.

I was surprised recently to see Kerrygold cheeses in my local Aldi store, I guess their rich cousin Trader Joe is rubbing off on them! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:
 
I can find buttermilk in my local stores, but it is expensive and I never seem to be able to use a quart of it before it goes bad. I make small amounts of a buttermilk/sour milk substitute by placing a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in the bottom of a one cup measure and then filling it with milk and waiting five minutes for it to sour.

I was surprised recently to see Kerrygold cheeses in my local Aldi store, I guess their rich cousin Trader Joe is rubbing off on them! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:

They often carry imported name brand cheeses, but they are more of an in and out item, many you'll only see once a year. That keeps me going there on a regular basis to check out the cheese case!

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I can find buttermilk in my local stores, but it is expensive and I never seem to be able to use a quart of it before it goes bad. I make small amounts of a buttermilk/sour milk substitute by placing a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in the bottom of a one cup measure and then filling it with milk and waiting five minutes for it to sour.

I was surprised recently to see Kerrygold cheeses in my local Aldi store, I guess their rich cousin Trader Joe is rubbing off on them! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:
On the rare occasions you see buttermilk in my neck of the woods it's in a 1/2 pint carton and is very cheap.

Aldi over here is gradually doing more and more "named" brands. They probably have a deal with the manufacturers to take over-runs. They had Heinz beans in a four-pack recently at about half the price in normal shops.

I like Aldi. In the main the quality is good and they have interesting things that other shops don't. I'm currently addicted to their tomato, basil and crème fraiche soup. It's in a can and I never buy canned soup but a friend gave me some and it's yum. About as near to home-made as you could get in a can.
 
I was really surprised when people started talking about Aldi here. I have only seen them in Denmark and they had good variety and really decent prices. The quality was more than acceptable.
 
I was really surprised when people started talking about Aldi here....
And if you buy something you just can't eat, they do have a money-back guarantee. We've had a couple things we wouldn't buy again, but we've never had anything so bad that we were inclined to toss it. I have to say over the years (first started to shop Aldi in the late 1980s) the quality of the foods they offer has improved dramatically.
 
My soda bread recipe calls for 2 cups of buttermilk. I always buy a quart and make two loaves of bread --- no wasted buttermilk. My local grocery store also sells buttermilk in pints (2 cups). I think you can google how to make buttermilk from sweet milk and vinegar or like someone posted above, use yogurt or sour cream.
 
Put two tablespoons of white vinegar into a 1 cup liquid measure and fill to 1 cup with milk (fat percentage doesn't really matter). In 5 minutes, it's buttermilk.

If I shop at my local smaller faster warehouse store, 1 quart of buttermilk is $2.39 and a 1/2 gallon is $2.79. Guess which one I buy?

I have a wonderful recipe for Saint Patrick's Day soda bread. It is GREEN!

Tart Apple Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ tsp baking soda
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup low fat buttermilk, divided
  • 1 Pipin or Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
  • ½ cup Amoretti Premium Tart Apple Syrup
Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, stir dry ingredients together with a whisk. Make a well in the center and add 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Combine dry ingredients and buttermilk with a fork, gradually adding more of the remaining buttermilk until a soft dough is formed. Fold in the diced apple and the Amoretti Premium Tart Apple Syrup just until blended.

Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface for 1 minute. Form into a slightly flattened circle. Place the loaf on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut a 1/2-inch deep X in the top of the loaf and bake the soda bread in a 375°F oven for 40 to 45 minutes. The bread is done when it is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

spd-soda-bread-550px.jpg
 
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The other reason I avoid buying buttermilk is that I've read that most buttermilk sold in grocery stores is really cultured milk and not true buttermilk. Also, adding an acid to milk simulates buttermilk by activating the leavened, but it doesn't taste like buttermilk. And I want the flavor.

I might just buy some whole milk and make my own butter and buttermilk in the food processor.
 
The other reason I avoid buying buttermilk is that I've read that most buttermilk sold in grocery stores is really cultured milk and not true buttermilk. Also, adding an acid to milk simulates buttermilk by activating the leavened, but it doesn't taste like buttermilk. And I want the flavor.

I might just buy some whole milk and make my own butter and buttermilk in the food processor.
Yeah, it's cultured "buttermilk". I feel cheated. They should give a different name.
 
#1 - Wish we had an Aldi's.

#2 - Can't keep buttermilk in the house. My husband drinks it all. I have some set aside for soda bread tomorrow, he's been forbidden to touch it until I make the bread. If I have it, I use it for biscuits, to soak chicken in, make ranch dressing and cole slaw with...but it's always gone!

#3 -I've done the vinegar or lemon juice in regular milk to simulate buttermilk, and it may be psychosomatic, but it just don't taste or act the same to me in cooking.
 

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