I am afraid of yeast. After a disastrous attempt to make cinnamon buns about a year ago, I have not tried to make any kind of bread, roll, etc. Recently, however, I have been investigating quick breads, which use chemicals such as baking soda or baking powder as leaveners, rather than yeast. I figured quick breads would be a good way to ease myself into baking (though I need to face my fear of yeast...soon). I did a little research and found that Irish Soda Bread fits the bill - it is leavened with baking soda and buttermilk (the leavening power of baking soda is activated by an acid - such as buttermilk). There are a lot of Americanized recipes for Irish Soda Bread, which include ingredients such as eggs, sugar, and/or fruit. I wanted to go traditional, however, so I used the White Soda Bread recipe found here, with some minor modifications. I replaced half of the all purpose flour with cake flour (according to my research, the flour traditionally available in Ireland has a low gluten content - more similar to cake flour than all purpose flour); I tossed in a cup of raisins (which I believe technically makes my creation a "spotted dog"); I only used about 12 ounces of buttermilk (1.5 cups); I did not use a cake pan - I just floured a baking sheet and free-formed the loaf (and made sure to cut the cross in the top!) - and did not cover the loaf during baking; and I only cooked it for about 35-40 minutes. (The amount of liquid you need and the total cooking time depend on a number of differernt factors, including humidity and your oven.)
AND...here are the results (finally - a picture!):
If you would like to learn more about traditional Irish Soda Bread, here are two sites that provided me with lots of information:
http://www.sodabread.info/index.htm (this is the site from which I got the recipe - they have lots and lots of information. Who knew there was a Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread??)
http://www.europeancuisines.com/Peters-Mums-Soda-Bread-Recipe (with videos! I should have watched them before I made my loaf.)
With no sides, doesn't the soda bread want to flow off the edge of the baking tray while in the oven?
ReplyDeleteThe dough is pretty stiff, so that shouldn't be a problem. When you knead it (only briefly!) and form the loaf shape, it should hold its shape. The slash marks (the cross) that you cut into the top of the loaf also encourages it to expand upward as it bakes. Shaping the loaf by hand won't give the same perfect shape as if you used a pan, but it should definitely stay together.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great recipe on Saint Paddy's Day. Erin go Bragh!
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