Let's Talk about Traditional Irish Soda Bread

(image source)

If you read up on Irish soda recipes you'll quickly learn that a recipe with anything other than flour, soda, buttermilk, and salt is not traditional.  The addition of seeds or raisins or orange zest or anything like that would make it a special occasion soda bread.  For instance, during harvest time it was often made with currants and whatnot as a treat for the men working hard in the fields.  There was a tradition in Donegal and Leitrim for adding caraway seeds and these are included as options in the recipe from Epicurious that I'm posting below.  My mother used to make soda bread when I was a kid and it was so good - simple, slathered with butter, just as good as biscuits!

White Soda Bread (image source)

White Soda Bread 

Bon Appétit | May 1996
Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon baking-soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (about) buttermilk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly flour baking sheet. Mix flour, caraway seeds, if using, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Mix in enough buttermilk to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Turn out onto lightly flour surfaced and knead just until dough holds together, about 1 minute. Shape dough into 6-inch-diameter by 2-inch-high round. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cut 1-inch-deep X across top of bread, extending almost to edges. Bake until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, about 35 minutes. Transfer bread to rack and cool completely.

Happy Saint Paddy's Day!  Go have some Jameson's Irish whiskey - you'll be glad you did.

Weekend Cooking 

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