Soda Bread

I’ve eaten soda bread several times, usually on Saint Patrick’s Day, and I always thought it tasted odd. If I’m being honest, I really didn’t like it at all. Currants and raisins are not my favorites and I couldn’t understand why someone would ruin a perfectly good loaf of homemade bread by adding raisins! Well, little did I know, that is the Americanized version of soda bread. Turns out that soda bread is actually a simple bread made with baking soda (hence the name) rather than yeast.

So, here’s my first try:

Soda Bread

• 4 cups of flour

• 4 tablespoons of sugar

• 1 teaspoon of baking soda

• 2 teaspoons of baking powder

• 1½ teaspoon of salt

• 1 stick of butter

• 1 cup of buttermilk

• 1 egg

Optional:

• ¼ cup sliced kalamata olives

• 1 tablespoon roasted garlic

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.

2. Sift together all of the dry ingredients.

3. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until the whole mixture is crumbly.

4. Add the buttermilk and the egg and mix everything together.

5. Stir in the olives and garlic.

6. Form the dough into a ball and place it on a greased baking sheet.

7. Make a deep ‘x’ in the middle of the bread.

8. Bake for about 1 hour. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center.

I chose to use olives and garlic for flavor but you can use most anything you like. If you like the traditional American version with currants and raisins feel free to use those :-)