Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Here is a traditional Irish recipe that makes a high quality, filling and tasty bread. Soda bread differs from regular bread in that it is leavened using baking soda instead of yeast. This is a simpler procedure because, instead of proofing the bread to activate the yeast, soda dough can go straight into the oven where the baking soda does the job of making the bread rise. Here is how I made mine.

Ingredients

• 3 cups plain or all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preparation

• Mix the dry ingredients together
• Slowly add the buttermilk while stirring the mix until you get a moist dough
• Knead firmly then form into a ball and flatten until a couple of inches thick
• Make a deep cross cut in the top of the dough with a sharp knife
• Bake at 375F for about 45 minutes or until golden

John's Notes
This was a quick and easy recipe and the result was very good indeed. The salt is an optional ingredient; if you are health conscious you can miss it out completely. Some of the recipes I looked at used large amounts of salt - perhaps the Irish like it that way but my recommendation is to use just a little and throw the rest over your shoulder to get the luck of the Irish. Bake and enjoy.