Irish Soda Bread Recipe

By Thom7747

I love Irish Soda Bread and am always on the lookout for a good Irish Soda Bread Recipe. I couldn’t get enough traditional brown Irish soda bread when I visited Ireland for several days recently.

Irish soda bread is a very basic quick bread made from just four ingredients - flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The baking soda reacts with the buttermilk to provide the leavening for this pleasingly plain and wholesome bread that is great spread with butter and a bit of jam or honey.

Ingredients

• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups buttermilk

Preparation

Step 1

Position one of your oven racks in the center and preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease an 8-inch glass baking pie plate or baking sheet; set aside.

In a medium bowl, blend the flour, baking soda, and salt together with a whisk or fork. Add the buttermilk and stir vigorously with a fork or wooden spoon just until the dough comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for a minute. (The dough will not be smooth.) Form the dough into a a round loaf shape about 6 inches in diameter. With a sharp knife, cut an “x” in the top about 1/2-inch deep. Place the dough in the greased pan (it won’t touch the sides, which is fine) or on the baking sheet.

Bake for about 50 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and a skewer or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and place the bread on a rack to cool completely. (The bread will need to be cool or just barely warm to slice well.)

This bread is best enjoyed within a day of baking. Once completely cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature.