Kent Whitaker - author
Kent Whitaker who is author of this post Irish Soda Bread, also known as “The Deck Chef,” is an award-winning culinary writer and cookbook author. He’s also penned Young Reader, NASCAR, and History titles. The former winner of the Emeril Live Food Network Barbecue Contest also covers football, motorsports, and bass fishing. Kent currently lives in East Tennessee with his wife, son, and a couple of dogs that love when he fires up the smoker or grill. You can reach out to Kent at www.thedeckchef.com, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Traditional Irish Soda Bread
If you’ve done any baking from scratch you know that sometimes there’s a fine art to getting yeast to activate and to get the proper rise from your loaf of bread. Or, you can forget about yeast and try your hand at a traditional Irish Soda Bread.
This tasty and hearty bread is made from simple ingredients and yeast is not one of them!
The main activator for this recipe is baking soda and is very simple to make.
I have to thank my niece Tiffany who is a Southern girl and a big-time Auburn Tiger football fan. She now lives with her husband Conor and their family in Ireland.
She was my go-to source for a real soda bread recipe which she credits to originally coming from the official Irish Food Board.
A Bit of Brown Soda Bread Background
Soda bread is a staple in Irish cooking and it’s safe to say that there are plenty of families with their own “secret” recipes. But, food historians trace the original version of the bread back to native Americans who baked a version of soda-style bread with pearl ash as an ingredient.
Pearl ash is a natural form of baking soda derived from the ashes of burnt wood. This leavened the bread without yeast.
Now, jump forward to the 1800s – specifically around 1830 – when baking soda, or bicarbonate soda, started to be commonly available in Ireland.
This kicked off the wave of making Irish Soda bread which is known as being hearty, packed with flavor, and with a signature crusty shell with a pillow-soft interior.
???? Irish Soda Bread
As I mentioned above, this recipe was provided to me by our niece Tiffany and her family in Ireland.
She credits the government-run Irish Food Board for her starter recipe but mentions it is very versatile and pairs with a wide variety of dishes. But she does have her favorites.
“It’s traditionally made with buttermilk and is easy to make – but I’ll admit I was scared to try it,” Tiffany said. “But it’s wonderful and I think It’s best served warm with butter, jam, or marmalade I love it with a seafood chowder!”
This recipe is a variation of the original that’s been converted to cups and teaspoons for this article instead of grams etc.
Ingredients:
• 4 cups all-purpose flour or brown wheat flour for a brown bread version. You can use two cups white flour and two cups brown flour.
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (A bit more may be needed)
• Additional ingredient ideas are listed below for variations.
Instructions:
First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Next, place the flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
If using a mixing stand, use a low setting for bread dough. Add in the honey and 3/4s of the buttermilk to the flour mixture, working it into a shaggy dough.
Add the remaining buttermilk and keep mixing. You are looking for sticky dough.
Spoon into a lightly oiled round deep baking dish or a large loaf pan. Allow to firm up for a few minutes and gently score the top in an X pattern.
Bake in the center of your oven for 30 minutes and check – turn if needed depending on your oven, and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.
Total cooking time can range from 35 to 45 minutes depending on your oven. You can tap the top of the loaf with the wooden handle of a steak knife – if it sounds hollow – it’s done!
Allow to cool with a lightly dampened kitchen towel laid over the top – this will keep the crust from drying out while still holding its distinctive texture.
A Few Variations to Make it Your Own
You can sprinkle the unbaked loaf with sesame seeds, oats, and spices for bonus flavor. And there are plenty of recipes available today where creative chefs are adding ingredients such as raisins, fruit, and more to the dough.
I even came across one version that was seasoned with hot sauce and chili powder! Another had additional honey while another was flavored with applesauce.
As with any recipe – Irish Soda Bread can be tweaked to your own taste buds.
Again, thanks to our niece Tiffany for all of her help! If you – the reader – are ever in Ireland and see a lovely lass and her man with awesome kids all wearing Auburn Tiger gear then be sure to yell “War Eagle” and tell them Aunt Ally and Uncle Kent said Hi!
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