Homemade Irish Soda Bread

Written by one of our resident instructors and playlist queen, Paige.

If there’s one positive to come out of the isolated state we find ourselves in, it’s that we suddenly have a lot more time to spend in the kitchen - baking and/or finding the 6th snack of the day. Making your own bread is usually a luxury that modern working life does not afford time for, but our new normal is a little more forgiving in this way. Pre pandemic, who had the time to make bread, in between going to their affordable Pilates classes (thanks Premium Pilates and Fitness!) and racing around like a mad woman?! Enter the virus to slow us all down, to introduce online Pilates classes and to turn us all into potential bakers!

My problem with making my own bread has always been yeast. For one, it freaks me out – it’s kind of in this post-living state where it can somehow grow but surely it’s not considered a living thing right?? And, the dry/activated thing is also weird. Anyway, pandemic life hardly allows us to loiter in grocery stores finding yeast.

So my proposition to all of this – Irish Soda Bread. It’s a delicious, dense, soft bread baked with baking soda and buttermilk, not yeast! It’s also pretty quick, only uses a few ingredients and makes your house smell delicious! I had mine with a spinach dip, but next time I’m going to try it with soup!

Ingredients

• 1 and ¾ cups (420ml) milk
• 1 large egg
• 4 and 1.4 cups (515g) all-purpose flour + extra to make a mess with while you’re kneading
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp bsking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp (70g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Tips

1. Don’t overwork the dough – it can look a bit shaggy!
2. Use cold butter - when it goes in the oven, the steam from the melting butter will expand between the dough and create little delicious air pockets. Also, it makes the dough less sticky when kneading.  
3. If you don’t have buttermilk (or can’t find any at the shops) you can make some at home with 1 ¾ cup of whole milk + 1tbsp fresh lemon juice or vinegar. Whisk together and let it sit for 5 minutes before using.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 205°C & grease/line circular baking tin/skillet
2. Whisk buttermilk and egg together in small bowl
3. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, salt in large bowl
4. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers. This shouldn’t take too long and it’s okay to have little clumps of butter still! You’re not trying to get rid of the butter, just incorporate it.
5. Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, folding it as you go. Use a wooden spoon for this, it gets tough!
6. With floured hands on a floured surface, knead the dough into something that resembles a ball that’ll fit into your pan. This shouldn’t take too long either – don’t overwork it! Just get all the flour incorporated. If the dough is too sticky add some more flour.
7. Score the top of the bread with a knife and transfer to your pan
8. Bake for about 45 minutes. Outside should be crusty and golden brown with a nice hollow sound if you tap it with a butterknife.
9. Eat it!!!

Let us know how you found Paige's Homemade Irish Bread! I can't wait to make it!

Missed some of our other recipes? Click here to make a Teriyaki Vegetable Bowl or here for a Healthy Banana Bread recipe!

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