Have you ever eaten soda bread? In fact, the bread variant is a very popular snack in Ireland and is generally consumed by local people on Saint Patrick's Day. Even though there aren't many bakeries in Indonesia that sell it, that doesn't mean you can't make it yourself at home, lo! Basically, soda bread can be served as a breakfast menu with added butter and/or fruit jam, lunch, or even dinner as a thick soup mixture. Interested in practicing the recipe? Try reading this article to make traditional soda bread or turn it into sweet and delicious French toast.
Ingredients
Making Traditional Soda Bread
- 500 grams of all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 400 ml buttermilk
Makes 1 loaf of soda bread
Making French Toast from Soda Bread
- Soda bread slices
- 3 eggs
- 60 ml milk
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg powder
Step
Method 1 of 4: Serving Soda Bread on the Table
Step 1. Serve the soda bread warm
Although room temperature soda bread is also delicious to eat, the truth is that the best taste will come out when the bread is served warm. In particular, the warm temperature blends perfectly with the thick and dense texture of the bread, and is able to highlight the natural flavors of healthy and nutritious soda bread. That's why, try to always serve freshly baked or re-baked bread.
- If you wish, you can also warm the bread in a 180 degree Celsius oven for 7-8 minutes.
- While still hot, spread the butter over the surface of the bread. Later, the butter will melt and be absorbed perfectly into every fiber of the bread when exposed to hot temperatures.
Step 2. Slice the soda bread
With the help of a very sharp bread knife, slice the bread lengthwise with a thickness of 0.6 cm. Because soda bread has a very crumbly texture, make sure the slices are thick enough so that the breadcrumbs don't fall off when you eat them.
Tired of plain slices of bread? Try cutting them into squares or even wedges
Step 3. Place the soda bread on the table
If bread will be served with other food, please place it on the dining table and allow guests to take as much bread as they want. In particular, bread can be served on a special plate or basket that has been previously lined with linen to keep the temperature of the bread warm until it is time for consumption.
- Please slice the bread before serving or provide a bread knife on the table so that guests in attendance can slice their own bread.
- If the texture of the bread is very crumbly, try serving it in small plates. Thus, your dining table will remain clean of bread crumbs.
Step 4. Store bread in an airtight container
If there are still slices of bread left, immediately wrap them in plastic wrap, put them in a plastic clip bag, or store them in a special container for storing bread. If you don't store it in an airtight container, it's going to be very easy for the bread to become musty.
Try to finish the bread within 2-3 days for the best texture and taste
Method 2 of 4: Eating Soda Bread
Step 1. Eat soda bread with butter
In fact, these classic serving suggestions have both timeless delicacy and popularity. To make this, all you have to do is slice the bread while it's still hot, then spread a thick layer of room temperature butter on top. If you are using unsalted butter, try sprinkling a pinch of salt on the surface of the butter to enhance the taste.
- Mix butter that has been left at room temperature until it softens in texture with chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary, to create a delicious bowl of herb butter.
- For those of you who are vegan, feel free to use coconut butter or olive oil instead of regular butter.
Step 2. Serve the bread with citrus fruit jam
Because soda bread has a very neutral taste typical of home bread, you can add citrus fruit jam with a sweet and slightly bitter taste to enrich the taste. If you want, you can make your own fruit jam or buy it at major supermarkets.
- If the soda bread you have at home is no longer fresh, or it's been sitting for a few days at room temperature, don't forget to bake it before serving it with fruit jam.
- The combination of jelly and berry jam is also a delicious option to pair with soda bread.
Step 3. Serve the bread slices with the thick beef broth soup
Basically, thick, neutral-flavored soda bread goes well with thick beef broth soups (especially Irish beef broth soup). To eat it, you only need to dip the bread into the broth or eat it with the meat and various types of vegetables found in the meat broth soup. Generally, traditional soda bread is served with beef and barley soup which is cooked for hours until it thickens in texture.
If you want to imitate this way of eating, feel free to make your own beef and barley soup or buy it at a restaurant
Step 4. Dip the soda bread into a light, fresh soup
Trust me, the taste of soda bread with a fairly firm texture will blend perfectly with a light and fresh soup! To maximize the taste, simply dip the bread into the soup until the texture is slightly softened, or serve the soda bread as a side dish to various types of soup.
Because soda bread tends to taste bland, you can serve it with any type of soup
Step 5. Make the sandwich
Basically, soda bread has a very light taste that makes it delicious combined with various kinds of complements. For example, you can fill your bread with swiss cheese, corned beef, and sauerkraut for a savory sandwich with a classic taste. Want to be creative? Please spread apple jam to one side of the bread, then add pieces of fried bacon to it.
- Because soda bread's natural texture is very crumbly, try baking each slice of bread before turning it into a sandwich to make the process easier.
- Blue cheese is the best variant to pair with soda bread, although you can still use any type of cheese for an equally delicious taste.
- If you want, you can also bake soda bread and add cheese on top to make an open sandwich instead of the classic sandwich.
Method 3 of 4: Making Traditional Soda Bread
Step 1. Prepare all the necessary equipment
First, preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. While waiting for the oven to heat up, grease a round cake tin with butter, then sprinkle butter over it; set aside. For a more traditional taste of bread, feel free to use a cast iron pan that has a non-stick coating so you don't have to butter and sprinkle flour on the surface.
To prevent the dough from sticking to the bottom of the pan, grease the entire bottom of the pan with butter first. Then, sprinkle a little flour all over the surface of the pan, then tap the bottom of the pan upside down to remove excess flour
Step 2. Place the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl
Pour 500 grams of all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, and 1 tsp. salt into a large enough bowl. Then, stir all the dry ingredients until they are well combined and there are no lumps.
- If there are lumps of flour, don't forget to sift the flour before use.
- If you want to make brown soda bread, substitute about 400 grams of all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
Step 3. Mix 400 ml of buttermilk into the mixture
Pour in the entire portion of buttermilk, then stir the mixture with a spatula just until all the ingredients are combined. If over-kneaded, the surface of the bread won't have the gritty texture of traditional soda bread when it's cooked.
Do not use an electric mixer to stir the buttermilk. Using a mixer runs the risk of over-kneading the dough and making it difficult to rise when baking
Step 4. Transfer the bread dough to a cake pan or cast iron skillet
Then, tap the bottom of the pan or pan to remove any air bubbles trapped in the dough, and cut the surface of the dough in an "X" shape using a very sharp knife to ensure that the bread is evenly cooked.
According to traditional soda bread makers of old, the “X” shaped incision was made to “take out the evil air” from the bread, when its real function was simply to ensure that the heat from the oven was able to penetrate the thick interior of the dough
Step 5. Bake the bread for 30-45 minutes
Place the bread on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, check the doneness of the bread. Ideally, the surface of the bread should feel firm to the touch, and when the inside is poked with a toothpick, there should be no dough sticking to the bread when the toothpick is removed.
If the bread is baked in a cast-iron skillet instead of a cake pan, it will most likely need 45 minutes to bake to perfection
Step 6. Cool the bread on a wire rack
Once cooked, remove the bread from the oven and immediately place it on a wire rack. If allowed to cool on the baking sheet, the bottom of the bread will be mushy instead of crunchy. Therefore, make sure the bread is always cooled on a wire rack for a few minutes before serving.
If the bread feels very crumbly when slicing, try letting it rest for a few more minutes until it becomes a denser texture
Method 4 of 4: Making French Toast from Soda Bread
Step 1. Slice the bread to a thickness of 2 cm
Using a very sharp bread knife, slice the soda bread thick enough to keep the texture delicious when processed into French toast. Basically, you can use fresh bread or bread that has been sitting for a few days at room temperature. After all, the bread will still be perfectly cooked after frying on the pan.
Step 2. Combine eggs, milk and various spices in a bowl
Add 3 eggs, 60 ml of milk, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg powder into a large enough bowl. Stir all the ingredients until well combined before dipping the bread into it.
If there are lumps of egg that are difficult to mix with the other ingredients, don't worry. When fried, the egg clumps will still soak into the bread and don't risk ruining the taste of your French toast
Step 3. Soak the bread in the milk solution
Dip the bread into the milk solution, then press the surface until the milk solution is well absorbed. Then, turn the bread over and do the same before frying it.
Even if you have to get your hands dirty at this stage, don't worry because the results are well worth it
Step 4. Fry French toast with a little butter
Put the buttered pan on the stove; heat on medium heat. Once the butter has melted, arrange the bread soaked in the milk solution on the pan, then fry the bread until all sides turn golden brown. Once cooked, drain the bread and place it on a serving plate. Wait for the bread to cool before serving.
If the pan starts to look smoky, it means the stove you're using is too hot. Reduce the heat before continuing the process of frying the bread
Step 5. Serve your homemade French toast
Usually, French toast is served with a variety of sweet-tasting complements and eaten as a breakfast menu. If you are interested in trying it, feel free to serve French toast with the addition of maple syrup, berries, and powdered sugar. However, for those of you who don't like sweetness, feel free to serve French toast as a sandwich with savory toppings, such as bacon and fried eggs.
