The Perfect Traditional Irish Soda Bread

The perfect Traditional Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread that has 5 ingredients and nothing else.  Traditionally, it was not even made in an oven but made in a bastible which is a cast iron pot with a lid that was set over a turf fire because most Irish people did not have an oven.  It was easy and inexpensive when baking soda was invented and inexpensive to buy.  The rest of the ingredients could be made or grown on the farm.

What you will Need: The Perfect Traditional Irish Soda Bread

• 3 cups of soft wheat flour
• 1 cup of white all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups of buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

Step 1: The Perfect Traditional Irish Soda Bread:

Preheat the oven to 425°f.  Spray a cast iron skillet or other round baking pan with cooking spray.  I like to use a medium-sized cast iron skillet but if you don’t have one you can use a round cake pan because soda bread is traditionally round in shape but you can also use a regular loaf pan if you like.  Set aside.

Step 2: The Perfect Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Take a large bowl and sift the soft wheat flour, the all-purpose white flower, salt and baking soda together.  Add the buttermilk a little at a time until the dough is sticky.  You made need a little more or less.  Remove the dough from the bowl and place onto a floured surface.  Knead the dough lightly but not too much.  Then shape the dough into a round flat shape and place it into the skillet or pan.  Cut a cross in the top of the dough and cover with aluminum foil. I use the cast iron skillet and the aluminum foil to mimic the bastible.

Step 3: The Perfect Traditional Irish Soda Bread

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.  The bread should be nicely browned on top and sound hollow on the bottom when tapped.

Step 4: The Perfect Traditional Irish Soda Bread

The bread is best eaten warm with fresh Irish butter and a nice cup of tea.

Soda Bread Modifications

As in all traditions there have been modifications to the traditional Irish soda bread.  These additions transform this simple but lovely quick bread into a sweet cake that is enjoyable but nothing like the bread my ancestors made.  Some of these additions include:

• Currents
• Raisins soaked in Whiskey
• Caraway seeds
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Butter
• Beer

For me, I like to stick with the Perfect Traditional Irish Soda Bread.  I hope you do too.  Sláinte