Traditional Irish Soda Bread

A traditional Irish soda bread only contains four ingredients; flour, salt, buttermilk (or sour milk) and baking soda. If you add fruit, it's a cake. If you add seeds, it's a seeded bread not a soda bread.





4 c (16 oz) all purpose unbleached flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
14 oz buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425. Lightly grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan.

Sift dry ingredients in large bowl. Add buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon to form a sticky dough. Place on floured surface and lightly knead, just until dough comes together. Do not over knead as bread will become tough when baked. Shape dough into a mound, place in prepared cake pan, and score an X in top of loaf.

Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until golden and top sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan and cover lightly with a tea towel sprinkled with water. Do not seal bread in an airtight container as it will lose its crust. Let bread rest 4 to 6 hours before serving. Best eaten the day it's made.