Irish Soda Bread Recipe

[Eachna]

Irish Soda bread

My friend Tom gave me his mother's recipe...my family usually eats it 2x a week with dinner. I bake it in a convection microwave.


Tom's Mom's Irish Soda Bread

2 cups flour
just shy 1 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

bake at 400F for ~40 min.

The dough should be soft but manageable. Knead the dough into a ball in the mixing bowl with your floured hands. Put on a lightly floured baking sheet and with the palm of your hand flatten out in a circle 1 1/2 inches thick for a free-standing loaf. Or, grease a 9-inch pie plate, dust lightly with oat bran, place the prepared dough in the pie plate.

With a knife dipped in flour, make a cross through the center of the bread so that it will easily break into quarters when it is baked. Bake for 30-45 minutes (convection microwave LOW MIX/BAKE for 25-27 minutes at 180C). Check after 30 minutes (convection microwave check at 25 minutes) by picking up the loaf and tapping the bottom. If you hear a hollow sound, the bread is done. If making soda bread rolls, convection microwave LOW MIX/BAKE for 15 minutes. Cool on a rack.

If the crust seems too hard, wrap the baked bread in a damp tea cloth. Leave the loaf standing upright until it is cool.

 

[CWS4322]

I use buttermilk a lot! I love a cold glass of buttermilk with grated lime zest and freshly ground pepper on top.

Anyway, I am surprised it is expensive in the US--I find it is a better price in NYS than in Ontario. Buttermilk freezes well. I also have powdered buttermilk on hand for recipes. When I freeze buttermilk, I freeze it in one-cup containers. Thawed, it doesn't seem to lose it's integrity.

 

[taxlady]

I remember drinking churned buttermilk in Denmark as a kid. I didn't care for it.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

.... Buttermilk freezes well. I also have powdered buttermilk on hand for recipes. When I freeze buttermilk, I freeze it in one-cup containers. Thawed, it doesn't seem to lose it's integrity.

I did not know that, so thanks for mentioning it. No matter my best efforts, whenever I buy a quart of buttermilk I always seem to be throwing out at least a cup. Now I'll know better thanks to you CW!