Basic Soda Bread

Two main factors have long affected the historic course of Irish bread
making. The first is related to the climate, in that this land is greatly
influenced by the gulf Stream to the extent that it is neither hot in the
summer nor cold in the winter. Hence, the forty shades of green and the
fact that traditional hard wheats utilized in bread baking do not grow
well.

At least in the last millennium, Ireland has been relatively plentiful in
fuel for baking. Various medieval overlords of Ireland were never able to
exercise tight control over the forest land so firewood could be freely
poached. As a result, anyone with a hearthstone could afford to bake on a
small scale.

In Ireland plain soda bread is as likely to be served as a accompaniment to
a main meal in order to soak up the gravy as it’s likely to appear with the
breakfast in a fry. Soda bread comes in white or brown varieties and is
served as a cake or a farl, based on regional differences. We’ll being
including all the various Soda Bread variations during our All-Irish
Cooking month at Recipe-a-Day!

Sift the dry ingredients together several times in a large mixing bowl to
make sure the bicarbonate of soda is evenly distributed. Create a well in
the center of the dry ingredients and a pour about three-quarters of the
buttermilk into the center and start stirring. Continue to mix until you
achieve a dough that is raggy and very soft. Add more buttermilk sparingly
is you need it, as local conditions of humidity and temperature greatly
impact the mixture.

Blend quickly, but not too energetically until the whole mass of dough has
become a floury, raggy consistency. Turn the contents of the bowl out onto
a lightly floured surface and start to knead the bread.

Your primary concern is speed in kneading. The chemical reaction of the
bicarbonate of soda with the acidic buttermilk starts as soon as they meet.
You need to get the Soda Bread into the oven while the reactions running
high, so don’t over knead. Spend about 30-seconds kneading the dough and
shape the bread into a slightly domed circle about 6 to 8-inches in
diameter. Place the dough on a baking sheet that has been lightly dusted
with flour and use a sharp knife to cut across the circle making sure the
cut goes about halfway down through the sides of the circle of dough so
that it will flower properly.

Bake for about 10-minutes in a 350-F to 400-F Degree pre-heated oven, then
decrease the heat and continue to bake another 30 to 35-minutes until you
can tap the loaf and a hallowish sound is produced.

For a crunchy crust place the cooked cake on the rack to cool. For a softer
crust, wrap the cake in a clean dishcloth and store as soon as its out of
the oven. Either way, the soda bread is wonderful sliced or split and
served hot with sweet butter and the jelly or jam of your choice.