Easy White Soda Bread Food

EASY WHITE SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C fan/ gas mark 4 / 350F.
• Dust a baking tray (I actually use a pizza tray) with a little plain flour.
• Mix all the dry ingredients together thoroughly. Tip in the buttermilk and stir to combine.
• Keep stirring until the ingredients come together as a dough, then squidge together to form a ball.
• Place the ball of dough on your baking tray and cut a deep cross in the centre. (This is really important as it helps the centre of the bread to cook properly - so cut nice and deep, almost to the bottom.)
• If you wish, you can dust the loaf with a little flour, then place the bread in your preheated oven for 30 minutes.
• Serve with soup, stew, salad, or cheese, olives and cold meats.

WHITE SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly flour baking sheet. Mix flour, caraway seeds, if using, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Mix in enough buttermilk to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Turn out onto lightly flour surfaced and knead just until dough holds together, about 1 minute. Shape dough into 6-inch-diameter by 2-inch-high round. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cut 1-inch-deep X across top of bread, extending almost to edges. Bake until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, about 35 minutes. Transfer bread to rack and cool completely.

IRISH SODA BREAD WITH BUTTERMILK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (191 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Mix flours, rolled oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix buttermilk and melted butter together in a small bowl.
• Make a small well in the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk-butter mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon until well combined.
• Turn the dough out on a generously floured surface and knead into a smooth, round loaf. Place on the cookie sheet and cut a shallow X into the top of the dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is golden brown, about 1 hour. Carefully tap the bottom of the loaf; it should sound hollow. Cool on a baking rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

EASY SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mix together the flour, salt and bicarb in a bowl. And if you'd like rosemary bread, add the chopped rosemary too.
• Mix together the milk and lemon juice in a jug, and wait for a minute as it magically turns into buttermilk. Then stir in the honey, and simply pour it into the flour mixture. Stir it with a knife for a minute until the whole thing comes together into a sticky dough.
• Tip onto a floured work surface and shape it into a ball.
• Put the ball on a floured baking tray and, using a sharp knife, make a deep cross on top.
• Put in the oven and bake for 40 mins.
• Cool on a wire rack until warm, then slice and serve.

AMAZINGLY EASY IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
• In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
• Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Check for doneness after 30 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

EASY SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F Lightly grease a large baking sheet with butter or spray.
• In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, softened butter, and raisins and/or caraway if using. In a bowl or mixing cup, lightly beat together 1 cup buttermilk with egg. Stir into dry ingredients. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. (Alternately, combine all ingredients in a stand mixer with a dough hook. Run on low until combined, then on high for 2-3 minutes until kneaded.).
• Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Dust top with a tiny pinch of flour, then use a sharp knife or baker's coupe to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may brush the loaf with the butter mixture several more times while it bakes, if you like.

WHITE SODA BREAD WITH VARIATIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together into a mixing bowl.
• Make a well in the center.
• Pour in most of the buttermilk.
• Stir just until all ingredients are incorporated. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Add the remaining buttermilk if it's too dry.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Roll it around a little to make it neater. Don't knead.
• Pat dough into a round loaf about 2" high.
• Place on a lightly floured baking sheet.
• Using a sharp knife, cut a deep cross in the center of the dough.
• Irish folklore insists that you must now prick each section of the dough with your knife, to let the Little People out (what they're doing in your bread in the first place, I can't imagine).
• Bake 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 400°F and bake until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped, about 25 minutes more.
• For the variations, stir in the additional ingredients before adding the buttermilk.

WHITE SODA BREAD

Steps:

• First fully preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Sift the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center. Pour all of the milk in at once. Using 1 hand, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well floured board.
• Wash and dry your hands.
• Knead lightly for a second, just enough to tidy it up, flip over. Pat the dough into a round about 12 inches (2.5 centimeters) and cut a cross on it to let the fairies out! Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure of this. Bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread: if it is cooked it will sound hollow.
• Soda bread only takes 2 or 3 minutes to make and 20 to 30 minutes to bake. It is certainly another of my 'great convertibles'. We have had the greatest fun experimenting with different variations and uses. It's also great with olives, sun-dried tomatoes or caramelized onions added, so the possibilities are endless for the hitherto humble soda bread.

WHITE SODA BREAD AND SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• In a mixing bowl sift together 1 pound flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Make a well in the center. Pour most of the milk into the well. Using one hand, mix in the flour from sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn the dough onto a well-floured counter. Wash and dry hands. Knead lightly for 1 second, just to tidy it up, flip over. Pat dough into a round about 1 1/2 inches deep and cut a cross into dough over the sides of the bread to let the fairies out. Bake in preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 400 degrees for another 30 minutes or until cooked. If in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread, it should sound hollow.