Traditional Irish Soda Bread
By: dad1337
Published: Friday, March 7, 2014 - 8:45am

Ingredients




4 cups soft Wheat Flour
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp salt

Preparation

1 Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl add the buttermilk and mix until the flour not visible.  If dough very dry add more buttermilk and if too wet add a little more flour.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball.  Place onto a lightly greased sheet pan or on to a silpat or into a lightly greased cake pan. Cut a cross into the top about an inch and a half deep ( this helps the center bake).  Bake at 425° for about 25 minutes then lower the temperature to  400° and bake for an additional 20 minutes.  The bread will be done when it gives a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.  If the bread begins to brown too much, cover loosely with foil.  When baked remove to a wire rack to cool.  Can be sliced warm.

About

The most traditional Irish Soda Bread is simply Soft Wheat Flour, a little baking soda ,a little salt, and buttermilk.  Soft wheat has less gluten which made it easier to mill than hard wheat.  In this recipe we used Swans Down Cake Flour, which is soft winter wheat.  There are no extra ingredients in traditional soda bread but if you'd like add currents, or raisins, or nuts or anything else that would go great in bread.  Don't worry the Leprechauns won't attack if you do!