Sunday, March 17, 2019

Let's Dish: Irish Soda Bread


I had some grand plans for St. Patrick's Day, but it snuck up on me.  I was going to do a from-scratch corned brisket and all, but that takes about 10 days of advanced planning that wasn't meant to be.  And normally bread isn't exactly a short-term notice kind of thing, but this bread scores in two ways: it's quick and it's amazingly delicious.  No yeast, just buttermilk and baking soda for lift.  It smells scrumptious and tastes even better slathered with melting butter.

Note: I added 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter since I could only find low-fat buttermilk.

Irish Soda Bread
From Let's Dish blog

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons sea salt
1¾ cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually stir in the buttermilk until the dough comes together in a slightly sticky ball.  Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead gently a few times. Form the dough into a ball and then press into the prepared pan so that the dough resembles a large disk. The dough should reach the edges of the pan, but may spring back slightly.  Cut an X into the dough with a sharp knife, about ¼ of an inch deep. Cover the pan of dough with another round cake pan turned upside down.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, covered, then remove the top pan and bake uncovered for about 10 minutes more or until the crust is dark golden brown.

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