Irish Soda Bread #BreadBakers

Since St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on Friday, March 17, our host Wendy Klik asked us to share our favorite Irish Bread recipes, sweet , savory, a rye or potato bread. I, decided to make a buttery Irish Soda Bread. 

This bread is  a delicate, since it's not yeasted, buttermilk is used to make this bread, it requires light kneading. This bread is lightly sweet and has a awesome taste of buttermilk. I,  slathered the slices of bread with butter and had it warm for breakfast and it was divine. 

Loved this bread. It's so quick and easy to make, will bake it often that's sure. Thank you Wendy for choosing  this theme and hosting this month's event.

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
2 Cups All Purpose Flour (plus extra for dusting)
1/2 Teaspoon Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Heaped or 25 Grams Cold Butter - unsalted
1/4 Teaspoon Level Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Level Cream of Tartar
1 Teaspoon Level Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup  Buttermilk * recipe below

Method

Take wide and large bowl, grate the butter into the flour, add salt and lightly mix it with you finger tips till it represents bread crumbs. Keep this bowl in the refrigerator to cool. 

In the meantime, 

Preheat the oven for 15 minutes at 250 degree C.

Line and grease the baking tray with oil and gather rest of the ingredients.

When the oven is preheated, now take the flour out of the refrigerator. Add the sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda and powder and lightly mix it. Make a well in the center and pour in most of the buttermilk, leaving about a tablespoon or two of butter milk. Using one hand with your fingers outstretched like a claw, bring the flour and liquid together, adding more buttermilk, if necessary. Don't knead the mixture, or it will become heavy and the bread will be dense. The dough should be soft, but not too wet and sticky.

When the dough comes together, turn it onto a floured work surface and bring it together a little more using both your hands. Pat the dough into a round and just wet you hands with the remaining buttermilk and moisten the top of the bread, then give  deep cut,  cross in it. Place it immediately on a baking sheet ( lined it with aluminium foil).

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes ( depending on the oven). After 25 minutes turn down the temperature 200 degrees C and bake for 5 minutes. After this turn the bread upside down and bake for 5 minutes more. When done, tap  the bread  will sound slightly hollow and  the bottom will be golden in color. Cool the bread,  when it's lightly warm slice it, butter it and enjoy.   Yum...

My Notes:

While measuring the baking powder, soda and cream of tartar, level the teaspoon by cutting it with you finger, this is very important. 

The flour and butter should cold. 

Buttermilk is a must in this recipe and can’t be left out. The main reason is the buttermilk chemically reacts with the baking powder and soda to make the bread rise. Do not keep the bread on the counter and then preheat the oven, the bread will fall while baking since the baking powder and soda starts reacting immediately when it meets liquid. 

For a beautiful, crispy crust do not open the door while baking. However, tempting it is, or else, you will not have a light and a thick crust bread.

How to Make Buttermilk
Ingredients
1 Cup Milk
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar or Lemon Juice

Method 

If the milk is from the refrigerator then warm it in the microwave for 15 seconds only (The milk that I used was from the refrigerator).  Take it out from the microwave and then add the vinegar or lemon juice.  Lightly stir the milk  and keep it aside for 10 minutes. Buttermilk is ready.  

Labels : Breads, Ireland, Soda Bread, Bread Bakers, Non-yeasted, Buttermilk

Check out the Irish Breads that our fellow #BreadBakers have baked this month
Apple, Beer, and Cheddar Soda Bread by A Baker's House
Blaa by Sara's Tasty Buds
Caraway Rye Soda Bread by A Salad For All Seasons
Carrot and Dillisk Bread by A Shaggy Dough Story
Cheddar and Herbs Soda Bread by Ambrosia
Currant Drop Scones by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Egg Free Irish Raisin Tea Scones by Gayathri's Cook Spot
Four leaf Clover Rolls by Cook's Hideout
Guinness Bread Rolls by The Bread She Bakes
Guinness Buckwheat Bread by Baking Sense
Irish Amber Ale Pretzels by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Irish Barmbrack by The Schizo Chef
Irish Freckle Bread by Mayuri's Jikoni
Irish Freckle Bread by Passion Kneaded
Irish Multigrain Bread by What Smells So Good?
Irish Soda Bread by Herbivore Cucina
Irish Soda Bread by Sneha's Recipe
Irish Soda Bread Scones by Spill the Spices
Irish Soda Buttermilk Bread by Sizzling Tastebuds
Oat and Potato Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories
Potato Clover Leaf Rolls by Spiceroots
Soda Bread Farls by Food Lust People Love
Soft Wheat Irish Soda Scones with Raisins (Spotted Dog) by The Wimpy Vegetarian
Super Easy Potato Roll Recipe by Hostess At Heart
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.