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Irish soda bread is so quick and easy. Bread, also known in US as Irish bread is not just for St. Patrick day. It’s perfect whenever you want a loaf of homemade bread for brunch or dinner. Try all flavor options!
The history of Irish soda bread
"Wetter than pie crust
Too stiff to pour
But not stiff enough to roll" This is taken from a book from 1836. In fact, back in those days according to that book, soda bread didn't have soda as a leavener but instead it was sour potatoes or other ferments as a starter, based on a wild yeast instead.
Because the wheat that grows in Ireland is a soft wheat and usually this type of wheat is low in protein and gluten, it's perfect only for the quick breads, muffins, pancakes, etc. where no structure of gluten has to be built in.
Traditional Irish soda bread is delicious served with butter next to a bowl of soup or stew. Best of all, the leftovers are perfect toasted for breakfast.
There's a good reason why traditional Irish Soda Bread has been a favorite part of breakfasts and tea time for so long. It's quick and easy to put together and has just a few ingredients without any special equipment needed.
What is Irish Soda Bread?
Soda bread is a type of quick bread—because it contains no yeast, it doesn't require the rising time or lengthy kneading of other bread recipes. Baking soda, baking powder, or a combination of both are what make soda bread rise in an oven. Buttermilk is the traditional liquid used, and its acidity is perfect to activate baking soda.
Soda bread has very short time lifespan, so it's best to eat it fresh, unlike sourdough, soda bread won't last a few days. Soda bread is a rustic loaf with a soft, dense crumb. It's heavier and a little more crumbly than yeast breads.
I'm a sourdough bread girl, but sometimes you need something quick and easy that can quickly feed my family. I never buy bread of any kind.
In the video I used the recipe that I was given by our dear friend who makes this bread with his eyes closed. He has shared it with us a million times, and my boys got used to it.
Here, take a look, a photo of family recipe that has been used forever. The mother (Irish woman), who is 95 years old at the moment, still makes it.
And sometimes something plain is the best approach. And my husband likes it this way. But here are the 5 flavors that I tried and am offering to you.
5 TASTY FLAVORS TO TRY FOR YOU:
SEEDY LOAF: Add 2 Tablespoons of sesame seeds, 2 Tbsp flax seeds, and 2 Tbsp poppy seeds into the batter. Before baking, top the loaf with a sprinkling of sesame, flax, and poppy seeds mixture.
RAISINS LOAF: Classic American favorite adding to the soda bread, makes it sweeter. for sure. Just add 1 cup of raisins, soaking is not required, but definitely soaking raisins in rum will bring more flavor to your loaf.
ROSEMARY & GARLIC LOAF: Chop fresh rosemary, about 1 tablespoon, and grate one clove of garlic. The smell of this bread while it's still in the oven will make you to want eat this loaf right away.
BLACK CURRANTS & ORANGE: This combo is one of my favorites, 1 cup of dried black currants and zest of one orange. Black currants are popular in Ukraine as well, and I love it. It's not as sweet as raisins but very aromatic.
CINNAMON PECAN LOAF: Cinnamon pecan soda bread is a sweet breakfast loaf. It is absolutely amazing toasted with butter. To make a cinnamon pecan loaf, add 3/4 cup of chopped pecans, 1/4 cup of additional sugar, and 1 Tbsp of cinnamon to the batter.
What do you need to make an Irish Soda Bread?
Flour - All-Purpose or bread flour will do, but be careful to not over mix. My go - to for flour is usually this one....unbleached and organic.
Granulated Sugar - for just a little sweetness.
Salt - always needed to balance the flavor.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda - These two will leaven the bread and make it light.
Caraway Seeds - are just very traditional and a perfect spice to this simple rustic loaf. I recommend to not skip. Fact, caraway seeds contain more than 50 healing compounds, which studies show can fight all kinds of health problems. Unlike most healing spices, caraway thrives in a moderate (rather than tropical) climate, and is grown in many parts of the world.
Buttermilk - I used kefir, also regular milk with teaspoon of lemon juice will give you the same acidity to make the baking soda active. No matter what you choose, just make sure it's a full fat dairy. I used homemade kefir in the video, but if you buying look for this product.
Let's do it...
Prep time: 5 minutes
Making time: 5 minutes
Baking time: 45-50 minutes
Author: Inna of innichkachef.com
Serves: 4-6 people
Ingredients
2 cups bread or all purpose flour
1/3 cup raw cane sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of pink salt
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk or plain kefir
2 large eggs
Directions
Preheat oven 350F.
In big bowl mix flour, sugar, salt, caraway seeds, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk all together.
In another bowl mix eggs and kefir.
Pour wet ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients. Mix a bit with a spatula, until everything incorporates. Don't over mix or the bread will be chewy and that's what you don't want with this bread.
Pour batter into Paper mold - pan or use a traditional loaf pan lining with a paper.
Bake for 45 minutes. Enjoy right away. This is a simple and delicious bread that will make you smile, don't forget to smear with lots of butter! Have you subscribed to my cooking channel? Go and click here to be the first to see my new videos and THANK YOU so much for subscribing. It means a lot to me!
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