Originally published March 16, 2014.
Soda bread is plain quick bread, bread made with a chemical leavener like baking soda instead of yeast.
You’ve no doubt heard of Irish soda bread. The two defining characteristics of the national bread of Erin are 1) the inclusion of lesser parts of the wheat berry, such as the germ and husk, and 2) the use of buttermilk.
One way that my soda bread differs from true old-school Irish soda bread is the inclusion of such luxuries as butter, eggs, and honey. This is emphatically not traditional, but it makes for a moist, delicious bread. Picture a fine cornbread, only instead of corn meal there are coarse bits of wheat germ. The wheat germ gives the bread a slightly yellow hue.
Just what the internet needs
Another Soda Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 165 g all-purpose flour
- 105 g whole wheat flour
- 30 g wheat germ
- 12 g baking powder
- 2 g baking soda
- 8 g kosher salt
- 50 g unsalted butter, melted
- 140 g whole milk
- 125 g buttermilk
- 30 g egg
- 15 g honey
- 30 g sour cream
Procedure
- Combine the dry ingredients, the flours, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, in a medium mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre.
- Combine the wet ingredients, the melted butter, whole milk, buttermilk, egg, honey, and sour cream, in a separate bowl. Whisk thoroughly.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, then mix with a spatula until just combined. Do not over-mix!
- Transfer batter to a buttered baking vessel and bake at 375°F until the centre of the bread is set, roughly 30 minutes, though exact times will depend on the dish you have selected.
