Irish Soda Bread

It seems the only time I make Irish soda bread is when I make corned beef.  It goes perfectly with the broth that the corned beef cooked is in (which in my case would be beer); I can't imagine corned beef without it. Everytime I make it I wonder why I don't make it more often. It looks like a wonderful and rustic loaf of bread.

Irish soda bread is an easy bread to make and I usually have all of the ingredients for it (except the buttermilk). This time I even had the buttermilk, because I recently made a limoncello pound cake. The trick to this bread is (1) don't over handle it; (2) don't add the buttermilk to the dry ingredient until the oven is preheated; and (3) check the bread after 30 minutes to determine if it is done.

Irish Soda Bread
3 1/2 Cups (440 g) of Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 Tsp of Sugar
1 Tsp of Salt
1 Tsp of Baking Soda
8-10 oz. (about 250 ml) of Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450F/230 C/gas mark 8 If using a convection oven preheat to 425F/220C. Lightly flour a baking sheet and set aside. In a large bowl throughly shift together the dry ingredients.

The ingredients are ready to go

Once the oven is preheated, add 3/4 of the buttermilk and gently mix together. Add more buttermilk if needed. You are trying to get a "raggy" consistency.


 Quickly knead the bread on a lightly floured surface for about 90 seconds. Shape the bread into a slightly domed circle.

 Place the dough on the cookie sheet. Cut a cross across the circle. The cut should go halfway through the dough.

Bake for 30-45 minutes (convection 23-34 minutes). Check after 30 minutes (convection check at 23 minutes) by picking up the loaf and tapping the bottom. If you hear a hollow sound, the bread is done. Cool on a rack.