Almost Traditional Irish Soda Bread

This is another bread which I have been planning on making for some time now and just had the chance to make it today.  The name alone “Irish Soda Bread” make you want to taste it.  There is a lot of history about it too.  I did a little research before deciding on a recipe to use.  I wanted to keep it traditional but yet still tasty for everyone to eat at my house so I modified it just a bit and you can to it you wish.

Ingredients

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 & 1/2 Tbsp of sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 and 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp melted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 & grease 9″ baking dish or cast iron skillet / dutch oven
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt in large bowl
3. Stir dry ingredients well
4. Add buttermilk, eggs & melted butter
5. Mix well, it will be sticky!
6. Shape into round loaf and place into baking dish
7. Lightly dust entire top with flour
8. Make 2 cuts across the top of the loaf making a “+” on the top, the cuts allow the bread to expand without cracking
9. Turn heat to 350 and place dish into oven and bake for 60-70 minutes
10. Remove dish from oven and let rest for 5 minutes
11. Remove load from dish and place on cooling rack until room temperature
12. Enjoy!

Side Notes 

In its traditional form it was never a festive type of bread, it never included irish whiskey, sour cream, rasins, candied fruit or seeds.  Though many fine recipes exist with these ingredients.

If you added rasin’s it would then be called “Spotted Dog Bread”
If you added caraway seeds it would then be called “Railway Cake”

More information can be had at the Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread at www.sodabread.info