Soda bread is not fussy or complicated, requires little time and basic ingredients. It's forgiving and adaptable, and a perfect match to wintery foods.
My grandmother was a “handful of this and a handful of that” style of baker. Nothing was fancy but it was good. I loved her corn bread, crumb cake, and caraway seed cake.
She talked about making soda bread on the farm where she grew up but did she ever make it for me? No! It remained a mystery, which made it all the more desirable. I had to conjure up visions of wood stoves stoked by kindly looking, bonneted and aproned red cheeked ladies who lovingly baked plump loaves of bread. They baked the bread in thatched huts in the woods of course, and Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and Hansel and Gretel all sat with me at a wooden table, eagerly awaiting a warm slice of soda bread. It was light, sweet, and fluffy like fairy bread.
As I grew up, soda bread faded away. It appeared again in my late teens when I met someone who said they knew how to make it. Did it fulfil my fairy tale fantasy? Not in the least. It was tough with a crust like rock and in no way suitable for fairies. She kneaded it like a yeasted bread and knowing what I know now, this is a big no-no for soda bread. Kneading is the enemy — it has to be coaxed gently into shape.
Soda bread came back into my life once again, and this time it was being made in the bakery of a store I was working in. It was not fairy bread, it was something else entirely. A sturdy and dense yet tender loaf, great for toasting, serving with soups and stews, and making sandwiches.
What I love about soda bread is its simplicity. It’s not fussy or complicated, requires little time and basic ingredients. It’s forgiving and adaptable, and a perfect match to wintry foods.
The breads all follow the same method except for a slight variation with the Honey Oat bread. They’re baked in a covered pan, which is explained in the method below.
Two origin stories exist about cutting an X in the bread. One is blessing the bread by cutting a cross on it, the other is to let the fairies out or they’ll spoil the bread. I’ll leave it to you to choose.
Recipes
Basic Soda Bread
This is as basic as it gets, a no-frills loaf.
4 cups (1 L) all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) baking soda
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
2 cups (500 mL) buttermilk
Spelt and Flax Soda Bread
The sweet, gentle flavour and texture of spelt is well suited to soda bread.
4 cups (1 L) whole spelt flour
1/2 cup (125 mL) ground flax seed
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) baking soda
1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups (500 mL) buttermilk
1 Tbsp (15 mL) honey
2 Tbsp (30 mL) sunflower seeds
Oat and Honey Soda Bread
This is my favourite loaf. The batter is loose and definitely needs to be baked in a pot or pan. You will not be able to shape it into a loaf.
2 1/4 cups (560 mL) whole-wheat flour
1 cup (250 mL) rolled old fashioned oats
1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) baking soda
3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt
1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups (500 mL) buttermilk
2 Tbsp (30 mL) honey
1 Tbsp (15 mL) rolled old fashioned oats
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C) and have your baking vessel organized before you begin.
The breads can be baked either in a parchment lined 8 or 9-inch (20 or 22 cm) pot with a lid, frying pan, deep cake pan that you can cover, or on a parchment lined baking sheet with a pot, deep cake pan, or stainless steel bowl inverted over the loaf. Make sure that these items are large enough to not touch the loaf with a few inches to spare. Check you have the right size before you begin.
Use the dip and sweep method for measuring flour and sift the baking soda to remove lumps.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and blend with a whisk. Blend in the butter if specified in the recipe by rubbing it in with your fingers until it looks like coarse meal.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk and honey if specified in the recipe. You may need a little more liquid or a little less buttermilk as it depends upon the humidity of the flour. Hold 1/4 cup (60 mL) back and use it if you need to.
Be careful to not overwork the dough. Forming your hand into a stiff claw is the best way to mix the dough, then pat it gently into shape, to avoid kneading. Transfer to the prepared vessel and pat out into a 7-inch (18 cm) round. Cut an X in the bread that is 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) deep with a sharp knife
Bake for 35-40 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the cover and bake for 5-10 minutes longer.
The bread should be springy to the touch and sound hollow when tapped. Cool slightly then transfer to a rack to finish cooling. Soda bread is best on the day it is made
Notes
• You can make 2 smaller loaves of bread or cut the recipes in half. Reduce the cooking time by 10-15 minutes.
• Each cup of buttermilk can be replaced with 1 cup (250 mL) whole milk mixed with 2 tsp (10 mL) vinegar.
• Soda bread made with white flour might look tan on the inside after baking. This is caused by the baking soda, which aids in browning starchy ingredients. The bread will taste fine.
• You can add 1/2 cup (125 mL) of raisins, currants, chopped dried fruit or nuts. A teaspoon of caraway or fennel seeds, lemon or orange zest is a lovely addition as well.
Related
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