I am going to give you the traditional recipe at the bottom of my easy recipe. Being Irish/Portuguese myself I do like to stick to my roots. I do not always have buttermilk on hand or wheat flower so the recipe listed first, I have adapted to fit my time, finances and tastes. All of us usually have these items in our kitchen at all times.
My Recipe
3 2/3 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt (I use kosher or sea salt)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups of milk (sometimes I use cream)
Preheat oven to 425
Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, then make a space in the center to pour the milk (cream) and mix slowly until it is totally blended. This is very sticky dough don't panic. If it seems too dry you can add 1/4 cup more milk a little bit at a time till the dough adheres.
I put foil shiny side down on a baking sheet. You can use parchment paper if you would like. I then kneed the dough into about an 8 inch circle. I cut an X in the top of the dough and place it in the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Time vary depending on your oven.
I remove it and allow it to cool for 10 to 20 minutes depending on the temperature of the day. Winter 10, summer 20.
The link for The Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread where I got this recipe from is listed at the bottom. It gives a history of where soda bread came from, soda bread cookies and traditional recipes.
Brown Bread
- 3 cups (12 oz) of wheat flour
- 1 cup (4 oz) of white flour (do not use self-rising as it already contains baking powder and salt)
- 14 ounces of buttermilk (pour in a bit at a time until the dough is moist)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees. Lightly grease and flour a cake pan. In a large bowl sieve and combine all the dry ingredients. Rub in the butter until the flour is crumbly.
Add the buttermilk to form a sticky dough. Place on floured surface and lightly knead (too much allows the gas to escape)
Shape into a round flat shape in a round cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough.
Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes (this simulates the bastible pot). Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
The bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped to show it is done.
Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist.
Let cool and you are ready to have a buttered slice with a nice cup of tea or coffee.
The recipe above is from
http://www.sodabread.info/