White Soda Bread

First of all let's get some things straight: traditional Irish Soda Bread does not contain any fruit, eggs or fats such as butter or margarine. If these are included in any recipe you find, it may be nice bread, it may even be Spotted Dog, but it isn't Irish Soda Bread!

There are just four simple ingredients required, flour, bread soda, buttermilk and salt.

Choosing the Right Flour

Often when people try to make this bread away from home it tastes all wrong, nothing like the delicious stuff they ate while in Ireland. That is because Irish flour is different, made from wheat grown in a different soil and climate, it is low in gluten. Ideally you would be able to track down Irish flour (which you can, here, but at a price!), but in the real world the best substitute is unbleached white flour.

If you cannot get that, use all-purpose flour but do not use hard or bread flour. These flours are very high in gluten and simply will not work in breads that do not use yeast.

Milk, Sour Milk & Buttermilk

Irish white soda bread Similarly you need to be careful with the buttermilk you use - homogenised will not work too well. And it cannot be ordinary milk - the acid in buttermilk reacting with the alkaline bread soda causes the bread to rise.

A good alternative is whole milk which has been allowed to go a little sour, in fact many Irish people use up old milk by making bread. It is impossible to be exact about the amount of buttermilk needed, it will depend on the nature of the flour. In an emergency I have added a half teaspoon (¼ American teaspoon) of vinegar to fresh milk to make it acid - it does work, but is not perfect.

The reaction between the milk and the bread soda is the key to good soda bread and it starts as soon as the ingredients meet, which means it is vital to get the bread into the oven fast. So, the very minimum of kneading, which is not really required at all, a light touch at all times and into a hot oven the minute the bread is shaped.

Let's go!

Ingredients

US	Imperial	Metric
4 cups	1lb	450g	Irish white flour or unbleached flour or all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon	1 level teaspoon		Bread soda (Bicarbonate of soda)
½ teaspoon	1 level teaspoon		Salt
2 cups	¾ pint	0.5 litres	Unhomogenised Buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 450ºF (230ºC/Gas Mark 8). Do not start until the oven is hot.

Method

Sieve the flour, bread soda and salt into a large bowl and mix. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in about 2/3rds of the milk. Quickly and with a light touch bring the flour in from the edges and mix with the milk, until all the ingredients come together into a dough. Use your hands, not a spoon or mixer.

It should not be sticky but should come together into a soft dough. If it is too dry add a little more buttermilk. Once it has come together, do not knead, just place it on a floured wooden board, pick up a handful of flour and rub it into the palms of your hands so that they are perfectly dry, and and then bring it together gently into a rounded shape.

Place on the baking tray, then cut a large x on the top. This is to let the fairies out so that they won't spoil the bread. Really. Well, ok, not really, but it is always done anyway.

Do all of this as quickly as you can and then put the bread into the oven immediately. Wait for about 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 400ºF (200ºC/regulo 6). The initial high temperature ensures a good crust. After another 15 minutes take the bread out and knock on the base. If it sounds hollow it is done, if not pop it back in for about 5-10 minutes and then check again.

The bread should be eaten the day it is made. This will not be a problem!

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