Soda bread is a quick and easy way to bring traditional Irish treats into your home. You can guess from the name that this bread uses baking soda and not yeast. This bread became popular in Ireland because the climate there is difficult to grow hard wheat, which is hard wheat is a necessary ingredient for flour to expand easily using yeast. The ingredients for this recipe are easy and the technique for making them isn't difficult to do yourself.
Ingredients
- 7/8 cup (200 g) flour
- 5/8 cup (150 g) whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp (25 g) sugar
- tsp (2.5 ml) salt
- 1 tsp (7.5 ml) bakpuder
- 1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
- 1 egg
- 1 cup (250 ml) creamed milk
- 1/4 stick (30 g) butter
- Some extra wheat flour, for flouring
Step
Method 1 of 2: Procedure Before Baking
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC (375ºF or gas level 5)
Step 2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
This paper will make the pan easy to clean. If parchment paper is not available, you can use cooking spray, but the bottom of the bread may stick.
Step 3. Gather ingredients and cooking utensils
This recipe goes pretty quickly -- dry and wet ingredients can be mixed in seconds. Measure everything out, break the eggs, and take the stirrer.
Butter will be useful if left a little. Don't thaw -- just take it first so it's near room temperature when you add it to the mixture
Method 2 of 2: Making the Dough
Step 1. Pour the dry ingredients into the mixer
Pour in the flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Then add the butter. Mix for 1 minute.
If the butter is still cold, heat it briefly in the microwave. Butter should be soft and not melted
Step 2. While mixing, add eggs and creamed milk
Continue until the mixture comes together. Once completely mixed, flour your hands and mix with a little flour then remove.
Step 3. Form the dough into a ball and place it on the lined baking sheet
It only takes a few seconds; The dough will be very easy to shape. Dust the top with a little flour and make an "X" shape on the top of the dough with a knife.
Step 4. Insert the tray into the center of the oven and bake for 40 minutes
If the oven gets very hot or does not bake evenly, adjust the oven. Watch or turn the loaf about halfway through
Step 5. After 40 minutes, remove the bread from the oven
Let it cool completely by placing it on an inverted fork - the bread will cool faster.
Step 6. Slice the bread or cut along the "X" into four equal parts
Step 7. Done
Tips
- There are many variations of Irish soda bread, and this recipe is just one of them. *As a variation: Garnish with 3/4 cup raisins and a teaspoon of cumin seeds
- For a fun St Patrick's Day variation, add green food coloring and serve with green beer. Make sure the bread doesn't get moldy!
- Creamed milk is very important because its acidity reacts with baking soda. You can also add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to make sour milk.
