Ingredients
The following ingredients have 4 Servings
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cup buttermilk
Instruction
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C) and grease a 8 inch cake pan or line a baking sheet with parchment paper. *I prefer to use a set of the 2" deep cake pans, grease the bottom cake pan and use the second as a lid to simulate the bastible that Irish Soda Bread was originally baked in.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour and add the baking soda and salt. Stir to mix with the flour, then make a well in the center of your dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk and stir until a sticky dough is formed (even though the dough is sticky, it may be in pieces (see video)).
- Turn the sticky dough out onto a lightly floured surface, flour your hands and knead the dough gently (to prevent the gas from escaping). Bring the dough together and shape into a 1 1/2 - 2 inch tall disc shape to fit into your 8 inch cake pan (this should be roughly the same size if you are baking on a baking sheet).
- Use a sharp knife to score a cross on the top of the dough (to bless the bread), then poke each of the four corners (traditionally done to allow the fairies to escape, otherwise they will jinx the bread).
- Cover the cake pan with the second cake pan and bake at 425°F (218°C) for 30 minutes, then remove the top cake pan and finish baking for an additional 15 minutes. The bread will have a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom crust.
- Turn the baked soda bread out of the cake pan and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack. Break the bread loaf in half and cut into thick slices (or serve as 4-8 torn wedges) to be buttered.
