soda bread
Apr. 16th, 2010 07:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kindkitI've started making my own bread again, which I used to do long ago. Re-learning the trick of yeast bread hasn't been wildly successful so far (I'm going to try again with a different recipe), but soda bread is as quick, easy and dependable as always. I first learned to make it when I was in graduate school and had even less time than money.
This is a simple, all-purpose soda bread without any of the weird things like caraway seeds, or even rich ingredients like butter, that tend to turn up in modern recipes. My understanding is that the simplest form is the most traditional; soda bread developed in Ireland at a time when the average person couldn't afford to use butter or eggs in bread, let alone raisins or caraway seeds.
Soda bread is very close to foolproof, so give it a try even if you're not much of a baker. I'm not, and it always works for me.
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar (you can omit or reduce this, but without it the flavor of the leavening is more pronounced)
1 scant cup buttermilk (or regular milk with a little vinegar added)
Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. Add MOST of the buttermilk and mix until the dough starts to come together. At this point, work/knead the dough lightly with your hands. You want a dough that's moist but not super sticky. You may need to add more buttermilk. [Generally speaking, a dough that's a bit wet is not a disaster--add a little more flour or just bake it longer, which I have done and which worked fine. But an overly dry dough will give you a barely edible result.]
Once the dough has come together, shape it into a round loaf. Unlike yeast bread, soda bread doesn't require long kneading for structure, although (unlike, say, muffins) a bit of kneading won't do it any harm, either.
Place the loaf on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cut an X about 1/4 inch deep in the top of the loaf (this helps the rise). Let the loaf rest for 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Let cool on a rack. To store, wrap in aluminum foil once fully cooled. It will keep perfectly well at room temperature for several days, even after cutting, though it will get a little drier.
Serving: Soda bread is good with butter and/or jam, peanut butter, cream cheese, egg salad, or plain. I don't think of it as a general sandwich bread, but then I'm not much of a sandwich eater--you could always try.
Variations: Substitute whole wheat flour for up to half of the white flour; the loaf will tend to be heavier so you might want to increase the leavening just slightly. Adding dried fruit (raisins are classic, but I think apricots work really well too) and increasing the sugar a bit makes a nice sweet loaf for breakfast or snacking.
This is a simple, all-purpose soda bread without any of the weird things like caraway seeds, or even rich ingredients like butter, that tend to turn up in modern recipes. My understanding is that the simplest form is the most traditional; soda bread developed in Ireland at a time when the average person couldn't afford to use butter or eggs in bread, let alone raisins or caraway seeds.
Soda bread is very close to foolproof, so give it a try even if you're not much of a baker. I'm not, and it always works for me.
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar (you can omit or reduce this, but without it the flavor of the leavening is more pronounced)
1 scant cup buttermilk (or regular milk with a little vinegar added)
Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. Add MOST of the buttermilk and mix until the dough starts to come together. At this point, work/knead the dough lightly with your hands. You want a dough that's moist but not super sticky. You may need to add more buttermilk. [Generally speaking, a dough that's a bit wet is not a disaster--add a little more flour or just bake it longer, which I have done and which worked fine. But an overly dry dough will give you a barely edible result.]
Once the dough has come together, shape it into a round loaf. Unlike yeast bread, soda bread doesn't require long kneading for structure, although (unlike, say, muffins) a bit of kneading won't do it any harm, either.
Place the loaf on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cut an X about 1/4 inch deep in the top of the loaf (this helps the rise). Let the loaf rest for 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Let cool on a rack. To store, wrap in aluminum foil once fully cooled. It will keep perfectly well at room temperature for several days, even after cutting, though it will get a little drier.
Serving: Soda bread is good with butter and/or jam, peanut butter, cream cheese, egg salad, or plain. I don't think of it as a general sandwich bread, but then I'm not much of a sandwich eater--you could always try.
Variations: Substitute whole wheat flour for up to half of the white flour; the loaf will tend to be heavier so you might want to increase the leavening just slightly. Adding dried fruit (raisins are classic, but I think apricots work really well too) and increasing the sugar a bit makes a nice sweet loaf for breakfast or snacking.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-17 03:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-17 03:52 am (UTC)I hate that first bite when you realise there's not enough salt... *shudders*
This white loaf is one I used a lot before I got the culture going - I substitute honey for the white sugar, and because I only have skim milk at home, I add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. You have to knead for a while, but I actually like doing that.
We've found it pretty easy to keep the culture - it just lives in a container in the fridge and we feed it once a week. Microbiology in the home, I love it!
no subject
Date: 2010-04-17 05:18 pm (UTC)