Irish White Soda Bread

Origin: Irish

A lovely easy dense dough perfect for an appetizer, pasta, or just a snack with butter.

Irish soda bread can be baked by anyone because it takes 4 ingredients and no time, not even a rise.

Makes: 1 loaf

Takes about 1 hours

Difficulty: 1 out of 5

Prep:

Preheat over to 425 degree F and place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking-soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk - more if needed

Instructions:

- Step 1 - Mix the Dried Ingredients

In a large bowl mix together 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt.

- Step 2 - Mix in Buttermilk

Add 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk to the dry ingredients.

Use buttermilk, if you don't, you miss out on the flavor that buttermilk brings to the bread and texture as well due to its thicker consistency.

- Step 3 - Mix Really Well

Mix the dry ingredients and buttermilk really until it starts to stick together.

- Step 4 - Flour Counter and Form Ball on Counter

Once the dough starts to stick together flour a cutting board, counter, or a large flat surface.

Dump the dough onto the floured surface.

The flour is to help the dough not stick to the counter as you knead the dough and form it into a ball.

- Step 5 - Make A Ball of Dough

Start to knead the dough until it makes a solid dough ball.

Note: If the dough seems to be having a hard time sticking together add a dash of buttermilk at a time until it starts to come together. Be patient, you don't want to add too much buttermilk at a time.

Make the ball about 2-3 inches thick and make the ball round - the diameter does not matter as much, just the height so you get a nice even bake and the middle gets baked as well.

- Step 6 - Cut and Place

Cut an "X" in the top of the bread about an inch deep and just to the edges.

Place the dough on the prepped baking sheet.

- Step 7 - Bake

Place the bread in the preheated over for 35-45 minutes. Start with 35 and add time if not baked through.

Note: Test if the bread is baked through by knocking on the bottom of the bread and if it sounds hollow it is done - should sound like someone is knocking on a door.

- Step 8 - Eat with some Lovely Butter

Once the bread is baked through it can be eaten either warm or at room temperature.

The bread will be dense because unlike most breads this bread does not contain yeast and does not rise, but it still has a very nice flavor and texture.

The outside is hard after it has cooled, but warm some butter on it in the microwave and it is like eating a buttery, soft, warm cloud.

I found this recipe on "Epicurious," it is kind of hard to get wild with this recipe, but I think it turned out lovely and perfect.

Bread loafs are hard to copy exactly because every oven bakes different and just the slightest difference in fat content or anything can change your bake, but just do the right thing and watch it closely and hopefully everything will work out perfectly.