Soda Bread

In my life there are few things that come before food. Food is very exciting to me, but not only eating it. I also want to make it. I am a terrible "oh hai, that looks simple, lets recreate that" type of person. One thing I am happy I taught myself to do ages ago is make bread. but if yeast and warm water seems to daunting to you, I offer a simple favorite of mine... Irish Soda Bread. No, I am not talking about that weird bread they have at the supermarket that tastes like sugary french bread with raisins in it, (ALSO, you DON'T put raisins in soda bread!) I am talking super simple and super delicious Soda Bread. (recipe below)








Use a bread hook on your machine, or just arm muscles. Don't be like Twila and use a whisk attachment or you will spend 20 minutes pulling dough out of the whisk. Also, don't sample the dough, it tastes ridiculous not cooked.

Now the lovely thing about soda bread, is you make it and eat it hot with dinner. Then in the morning you eat it with breakfast. I usually just eat it on the side, but I recently tried it with bacon gravy all over the top like an Irish biscuits and gravy minus biscuits... yes that is a technical term...

Here is the recipe I usually go with:

You need:
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups low-fat buttermilk



Directions:

Preheat oven to 450F

Combine the flours, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Make a hole in the center of mixture. Add buttermilk to flour mixture and stir until blended (dough will be sticky). Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface. Knead lightly 4 to 5 times. Shape dough into an 8-inch round loaf and cut an X into the top. place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 and continue to bake for another 15 minutes, or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

BUT! if you want a slightly sweeter version, I have also successfully made this recipe and its very yummy.


Go make bread and be merry!