The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Today's Irish Soda Bread

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Today's Irish Soda Bread

This isn't the prettiest soda bread I've made but then it was very tasty and first of the season.  

I had only about 3/4 of a cup of regular all purpose flour.  I usually use all regular AP.  Today I added my King Arthur AP flour to the regular all purpose to bring the total up to 280 grams measured...not counting the reserved AP that is added to board, hands and light knead of the SB.  Having your soda bread turn out requires that you work the dough quickly and lightly handling it as little as possible.  

I have similar instructions with photos on an older blog post of mine... search box - Sylvia's Irish Soda Bread, there is also instructions to make soda farls.

Today I used:

280 G of KAAP mixed with Regular flour -   Also set aside a small bowl of apx. 3/4 cup of KAAP for mixing, sprinkling heavily the board, hands and any extra you feel you might need to handle this tacky dough.

7 g fine Sea Salt

7 g Baking Soda

289 g Buttermilk  - well shaken

3/4 reserved KAAP flour for  board, mixing, hands

In a deep medium bowl.  Wisk together dry ingredients.  Make a well in the center of the mixture.  Pour in your buttermilk.  

With a fork.  Gently, quickly, mix together to form a mass of just moistened dough together in a shaggy ball.  Use floured hands and gently push to hold together and dump out onto a well floured board.  Shape gently and quickly just to form a ball and gently flatten a little with well floured hands.  Do not over mix.  Sprinkle flour on top and slice a deep cross all the way down, to sides if desired 'traditional cross'.  Place into a pie pan with a little flour on the bottom of the pie pan if desired.  I don't use anything in my pan.

Baked 375F in a pre-heated convection oven  for 30 min.

 

  

Sylvia

 

 

 

 

Comments

FlourChild's picture
FlourChild

Buttermilk soda bread, yum. Looks good enough to eat :)  Personally, I love the craggy appearance.

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

That's a good discription of the crust.  Thank you, FlourChild, I also love it with raisins too!

Sylvia

Isand66's picture
Isand66

I've never had Irish soda bread before but I had bought a special flour from KAF made for this but never actually used it.

Is this type of bread dry or moist?

Thanks,

Ian

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

for soda bread..I have used it and have photos of the brown soda bread on my blog 'search box - Irish Brown Bread - ' using the same recipe..they are all moist, especially when eaten warm from the oven..the best way to enjoy it.  It's a fast fix for company coming in the door with a cup o tea!

Sylvia

varda's picture
varda

I am bookmarking this right now as it looks like you really know what you're doing here.  -Varda

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Hi Varda,

This is the real deal...no sugar, baking powder, butter...though these things make a wonderful type of soda bread.  It makes a great bacon sandwich, especially the farls or toasted..use within a day or so and wrap in a tea towel.

Sylvia

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi Sylvia,

Craggy appearance is just fine for this type of bread...looks great to me.   The brown soda bread is known as "wheaten" over here..and I much prefer it too, especially if the bran is in coarse pieces within a nice weak flour.

Must be eaten fresh, of course.   Lovely

Best wishes

Andy

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

This was baked a lot by family when I was growing up and later.  Mom didn't have the Irish brown wheaten flour in the US and just used whole wheat...I loved it when she put the large I believe they are called sultan raisins in the bread...now I love the golden raisins for a sweeter side of this SB.

These are from my older post.

Sylvia

ananda's picture
ananda

much more gutsy Sylvia!

BW

Andy

Franko's picture
Franko

Hi Sylvia,

It's been ages since I've had a soda bread and yours looks so tempting,  it's really got me thinking of making one sometime soon.I'm imagining how it would go with a spicy, cold pork spread of some kind....mmm.  breadsong recently sent me some of her soft whole wheat flour grown and milled here in B.C. that would work nicely in this mix I think, so I'll save it to use for your Irish Soda Bread recipe, which I'm saving as well. Thanks for sharing this!

Cheers,

Franko 

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

You get the best flour and nicest thoughtful packages.  I think whatever you baked or cooked would be a delicious meal.  This is the best I could do for today.  I hope to get back into the swing of baking before to long.  

Sylvia

Syd's picture
Syd

The mixing instructions are similar to those for scones or muffins: if you want them to be light, don't over mix.  This kind of bread would be great with a barbecue.

Nice baking,

Syd

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Funny, I had put in...'think muffins' and then deleted it...'lol'  It's also great iron pan, fryed in a little bit of bacon fat.  I love bread fryed this way for breakfast...but it's a very, very, special treat, now days!

Sylvia