Alright, y’all. After my last post about Irish Soda Bread, and it’s non-authentic-ness, (I doubt that’s a word, but roll with me), I decided I should really get into this and make the real stuff, the stuff you’d find on a family’s table in Ireland.
Luckily, I won that mahusive amount of cheese and butter from KerryGold a few months back. Included in that giveaway was The Country Cooking of Ireland by Colman Andrews. It’s a beautiful book, big enough and full of enough gorgeous photographs to grace a coffee table.
There are wonderful recipes throughout the book, and some things I will never ever make (like head cheese, which is not cheese at all *shudder*). However, you can be pretty sure that I’m going to make every single recipe in the bread and baking section of this tome.
Because I’d read the forward, I knew just how well researched this book is. Each recipe is truly authentic to Ireland. So when the recipe says that this is Irish Soda Bread (and there’s no raisins or icing in sight), I feel like I’m offering you the real thing here.
The bread is good. Rustic, nutty, and perfect with Irish butter and a bowl of Guinness Stew. I can see why it’s the regular “table” bread of Ireland. It’s also incredibly easy to make.
Brown Soda Bread
Adapted from Colman Andrews’ Pint Glass Bread, makes one loaf
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp butter
1 3/4 c. buttermilk + 2 tbsp if needed
Preheat the oven to 375F.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and aerate. Add butter and and work through the flour until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.
Dig a well in the middle of the flour mix and pour the 1 3/4 c. into the well. Slowly work the flour into the buttermilk, turning the bowl as you do so to go around the entire edge. You want the dough to be soft, but not too sticky. If you feel it is too dry, add 1 tbsp of buttermilk at a time until you get the consistency you want.
Turn the dough onto a floured board and work it into a round disc about 2 inches thick and 6 inches in diameter. Cut a deep cross with a large knife to allow for proper ventilation and bake for 45 to 60 minutes. The finished bread should be nicely browned and sound hollow when thumped with your knuckle.
[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Irish Soda Bread, for real! – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
Julia
Thursday 15th of November 2012
I have a silly question....what type of pan do you bake this in...?
Amber
Thursday 15th of November 2012
Julia, not a silly question. This bread dough is stout enough that you simply shape it into a round with your hands and bake it on a cookie sheet. It'll keep the round shape as it bakes.
marla
Tuesday 8th of March 2011
The buttermilk & whole wheat in this bread must make it extra awesome!
Kristen
Tuesday 8th of March 2011
Now this is what I call Irish Soda Bread. What a delicious looking loaf!
Jen Schall
Tuesday 8th of March 2011
I love both versions of the soda bread that you posted! I'm always a fan of recipes that use whole wheat flour, so I'll definitely give this one a try!
Brenda @ afd
Monday 7th of March 2011
I love how beautiful that bread looks! It's been so long since I've had some, makes me hungry for it...