I have been an Irish Soda Bread baking machine this week, and I've loved every minute of it. My new mixer takes all the arm strain out of mixing the dough - make no mistake, this is dense bread - although it's still advisable to knead by hand for best results. I'm not sure if the mixer made a more pliable, well-blended dough, or if St. Patrick was smiling on me, but this bread turned out fantastic. The soda bread I make using my family's recipe often comes out a bit undercooked in the center, but Thursday's loaf (pictured here) was perfectly and uniformly done all the way through.
Friday's was a bit denser, because I bowed to health concerns and used half whole wheat flour, but still very even and well-cooked. I've also learned to slice further into the loaf when making the cross, which I believe allows more heat to reach the center. Growing up, I thought that the cross was for looks, and I've only realized in the past year or so how important it is for even baking.
Finally, this morning I used up the rest of the buttermilk to make to quick soda bread loaves following the River Cottage recipe. While this recipe lacks some of the complexity of my family's recipe, it is basic, fast, and will tolerate endless tinkering and substitution. This morning, I added some carraway seeds and a very small amount of brown sugar, and I used one part wheat flour to three parts white. It was perfectly easy and perfectly delicious first thing in the morning.
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