Kiddipedia
Irish Soda Bread is one of the easiest breads to make at home. There’s no yeast required, no waiting for the bread to rise and very little kneading involved. Best of all, it’s a wonderfully comforting and tasty bread.
While it was the American Indians who first used soda to leaven bread, it’ the Irish who took this method and made it their own.Bicarb soda was introduced in Ireland around the 1840s, the time of the potato famine. Irish Soda Bread was an easy and affordable way to put bread on the table and fill empty tummies. No wonder it took off in popularity.
You make soda bread with kitchen staples. Plain flour, also known as all purpose flour, is the main ingredient along with a little butter and buttermilk or sour milk.
If you don’t have sour milk or buttermilk on hand, you can use fresh milk with a little lemon juice or vinegar added to the milk.
For this recipe, use 400ml of fresh milk and top up with 20ml of lemon juice or white vinegar.
You’ll also need salt, bicarb soda and cream of tartar.
The method for this bread is so simple. You just sift the dry ingredients, rub in the butter and add the milk to form a firm dough.
You then knead lightly to form a round.
The final touch is marking a cross on the top of your bread with a sharp knife.
The cross has a symbolic meaning, and is meant to ward off evil. It also has a practical purpose too, allowing the bread to cook in the middle.
Some like to make just a small cross while others practically cut the bread round into quarters before baking. I like to make the cross about an inch deep right across the bread.
Once done, it’s into the oven and you’ll have fresh bread within the hour. No wonder this bread is still so popular today!
Libby Hakim is a recipe blogger from the Hunter Valley.
Her blog, Cooking with Nana Ling, is devoted to Australian home cooking and is served up with a dash of nostalgia.
You can follow Cooking with Nana Ling on Facebook and Instagram.
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