Recipes Bread + Dough Soda Bread Irish Soda Bread 5.0 (3) 3 Reviews This recipe is based on the one my Irish mother learned in school, thanks to the cooking textbook All in the Cooking. It's about as simple as bread gets—four ingredients, one bowl, about five minutes to bring together and less than an hour in the oven. If you love soda bread, it's worth seeking out Irish flour like Odlum's or King Arthur's Irish-Style Flour, since that contributes to the taste, but any all-purpose flour will work fine here. By Margaret Eby Published on March 15, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Sarah Crowder Yield: 1 loaf Ingredients 4 cups all-purpose flour (16 ounces) 1 teaspoon fine sea salt ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ to 2 cups buttermilk, shaken Good butter, such as Kerrygold, for serving Directions Preheat the oven to 400°F, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda until well combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in 1 1/2 cups buttermilk. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients until a loose dough forms. You're looking for a dough that's soft but not overly sticky or wet, and that holds together enough to make a loaf that can hold its shape on the sheet pan. If the dough is dry and crumbly, add up to 1/2 cup additional buttermilk, a tablespoon or so at a time, until it comes together. When the dough is just mixed together—no streaks of flour or buttermilk—transfer it to the parchment-lined sheet pan. Using your hands, form the dough into a round that's roughly 8 inches in diameter. Using a paring knife, cut a large "X" across the top of the loaf. Bake until soda bread is nicely browned, and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom of the loaf, about 45 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet until just warm, then slice and eat with good butter. To store, wrap in a slightly damp tea towel to prevent the crust from getting too hard, and keep on the counter. Rate it Print