Soda Bread Irish Butter (Printer-friendly)
Rustic Irish soda bread featuring a crisp crust and tender crumb, perfect with creamy Irish butter.
# What You Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
04 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
→ Wet Ingredients
05 - 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk
→ For Serving
06 - 4 tablespoons Irish butter, room temperature
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar in large mixing bowl until well blended.
03 - Create well in center of flour mixture. Pour in most buttermilk. Mix gently with hand or wooden spoon until soft dough forms, adding remaining buttermilk if needed.
04 - Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead briefly about 30 seconds until just combined. Shape into round loaf approximately 2 inches thick. Place on prepared baking sheet.
05 - Cut deep cross pattern on top of loaf with sharp knife. Bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown and bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
06 - Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes minimum. Serve warm, thickly sliced with generous Irish butter.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The crisp crust gives way to a tender, slightly tangy crumb that tastes like comfort itself
- You can have fresh, warm bread on the table in under an hour from start to finish
- It requires absolutely no special skills or equipment, just a bowl and your hands
02 -
- Overworking the dough will make your soda bread tough, so handle it as little as possible
- The deep cross cut is not just decorative, it helps the bread bake evenly and allows heat to penetrate the center
- Soda bread truly is best eaten the day it is made, though leftovers make excellent toast the next morning
03 -
- Cold buttermilk is crucial for the proper reaction with baking soda, so do not let it sit at room temperature
- The cross cut should be quite deep, about a quarter of the way through the dough, to ensure even baking