Irish Soda Bread

[stubshaft]

I just got finished smoking bacon yesterday and was thinking of an old time breakfast with eggs and homemade bread. So I whipped up some Irish Soda Bread to have with my eggs and bacon.

1 Tbsp Butter
4 C All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 - 1 1/2 C Buttermillk

Preheat oven to 425 deg. and coat baking sheet or dutch oven with the butter.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Slowly add buttermilk and beat with a spoon or spatula until dough is firm enough to gather into a ball. If it is too crumbly add additional buttermilk. Roll out onto a floured board and knead for about a minute (do not knead too much as it will affect the dough rising and make the bread tough) then pat and shape into a 8" dome x 1 1/2" thick. Cut a cross into the top about 1/2" deep. Put into center of the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

I usually use a cast iron dutch oven and keep it covered for the first half hour then remove the cover to brown it up for the remaining 15 minutes.

Serve hot with a lot of butter.

[Shiloh]

Looks great. I make an Irish soda bread from a bread machine recipe but it looks nothing like yours.

SHiloh

[Missy_Dawn]

Looks and sounds delicious!! Gonna have to try this!

[44man]

OH, that sounds so good. And home made bacon too---I HATE YOU!

[selmerfan]

Looks just like my bacon, and we bake ALL of our own bread, but I haven't done soda bread in a long spell. Maybe time to try it again!

[WARD O]

I tried the bread recipe last night - had to use the band saw to cut it......

Any suggestions??

[buyobuyo]

I tried the bread recipe last night - had to use the band saw to cut it......

Any suggestions??

I would guess that you over worked it when kneeding. All the soda bread recipes I have seen specifically say not to over kneed it or it will get really hard. I've got my first loaf in the oven right now. I hope I didn't over kneed it. I don't have a bandsaw.

[twotoescharlie]

when it gets cool put it in a storage bag, it cuts very easy the next day.

TTC

[Old Goat Keeper]

Soda bread is like a very big biscuit and the more you work it the tougher/harder it turns out.

T-o-m who likes to put either raisins or dried veggie bits in his soda bread

[buyobuyo]

I used a different recipe than stubs that called for raisins. I love raisins in bread. I might add in a bit of cinnamon next time.

[Dark Helmet]

Currants instead of raisins, soda bread is supposed to be dense and crusty.

[drinks]

My question is about the bacon, where can you get raw pork bellies?
I found a place online, but $48 plus $25 shipping for 10 lbs is not worth while.
I have been making some from market trimmed brisket flat half but would really like to make some pork again, have not done so in about 25 years,got my fresh belly from the last pig I raised.

[Dale in Louisiana]

My question is about the bacon, where can you get raw pork bellies?
I found a place online, but $48 plus $25 shipping for 10 lbs is not worth while.
I have been making some from market trimmed brisket flat half but would really like to make some pork again, have not done so in about 25 years,got my fresh belly from the last pig I raised.

Try specialty meat markets in your area, especially those that cater to ethnic traditions. Down here, that would be Cajun. In other places, I'd recommend Polish or Czech or German or Mexican. A lot of these small markets will do specialty orders or do butchering on their own and market the 'parts'.

dale in Louisana

[GT27]

In a word-YUM!

[GT27]

Try this one!No Caraway seeds though!

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4
cups all-purpose flour
2
tablespoons sugar
1
teaspoon baking powder
1
teaspoon baking soda
1/2
teaspoon salt
1/4
cup margarine or butter
1/2
cup raisins
2
teaspoons caraway seed, if desired
1
cup buttermilk*
1
tablespoon margarine or butter, melted
DIRECTIONS
1 Heat oven to 375°F. Grease 8-inch round cake pan. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; blend well. With pastry blender or fork, cut in 1/4 cup margarine until mixture is crumbly. Stir in raisins and caraway seed. Add milk all at once; blend well. 2 On well-floured surface, knead dough 5 or 6 times or until no longer sticky. Press dough in greased pan. With sharp knife, cut an "X" 1/4 inch deep on top of loaf. Brush with melted margarine. 3 Bake at 375°F. for 25 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm.
* To substitute for buttermilk, use 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice plus milk to make 1 cup.
Caraway seed, traditional in rye bread and Irish soda bread, is a member of the parsley family. (Even "seedless" rye breads often use ground caraway seed as a flavoring.) Central European and Scandinavian cooks use the seeds extensively in dishes made with meat, noodles or cheese.
For an authentic touch, bake the bread in an 8-inch cast-iron frying pan instead of a cake pan.
Irish Soda Bread rounds out a St. Patrick's Day meal of corned beef and cabbage.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft)
High Altitude Directions
Nutritional Information
1 Serving (1 Slice)

Calories 130
(Calories from Fat 35),

Total Fat 4g
(Saturated Fat 1g,
Cholesterol 0mg;
Sodium 230mg;
(Dietary Fiber)

[WARD O]

GT27
Tried your recipe out last night - very good! Quick and easy and tasty.

I believe my mistake with the other recipe was in working the dough too much. Last night I did little more than bring it together and then throw it in the oven.

I'll bet this will be VERY good with a nice venison stew.

Thanks
Ward

[gwpercle]

Do not knead the soda bread. Add 1 cup buttermilk and mix with large spoon until the dough is firm enough to be gathered into a ball. If the dough is crumbly add up to 1/2 cup more buttermilk into it by the tablespoon untill the dough adheres into a ball. Place dough onto a lightly floured board , pat and shape it into a flat circlular loaf about 8 inches in diameter and 1 1/2 inches thick. Set the loaf on the baking sheet or dutch oven, cut the 1/2 inch deep X into the top and bake as directed. No kneading...like making biscuits. It will be softer than if you knead the dough for any length of time. It took an old baker to teach me this trick...I never could get decent bread or biscuits because I thought kneading was good ... its not !