Whenever I have a carb emergency I make one of two things: cookies or quick bread.
Ive been making this Irish soda bread on repeat and I think youll like it too.
Quick-bread satisfaction
The quick breads category is pretty wide.
Whats more, something like Irish soda bread requires very few ingredients.
The Dutch oven is my vehicle of choice for this lofty, tender Irish soda bread.
Similar to baking asourdough loaf, humidity is your soda breads friend.
Encasing your soda bread in a small space allows humidity to build up as moisture evaporates from the dough.
The extra flexibility means the loaf can rise taller, uninhibited by a hard crust.
Its very similar to biscuit dough (minus butter or oil).
While traditional soda bread is the simplestno raisinsI choose to toss them in.
The dough is relatively plain so any flavor profile you choose will work just fine.
I have two notes before you set out to make your loaf.
Most importantly, dont overwork your dough.
Youve heard it before, but with shaggy doughs like this its hard to resist kneading it until smooth.
Leave it a bit shaggy and youll have a more tender loaf.
I actually made a whole Irish soda breadYouTube videousing a cold pot.
It comes out perfectly and well-risen.
In the recipe below, I preheat the pot.
Any other Irish soda bread questions you have might beanswered here.
Otherwise, the dough takes mere minutes to put together.
Put the Dutch oven inside the oven and preheat to 425F.
Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
Pour in the buttermilk all at once and combine the ingredients by pressing and stirring.
I use a plastic bowl scraper to do this.
Pat and press the dough to pick up the dry bits.
Use any sticky areas to target the loose flour.
Use a serrated knife to score a half-inch deep plus sign into the dough.
Place the loaf on a piece of parchment paper.
Carefully take the Dutch oven out and use the parchment to lift and lower the loaf into the pot.
Put the lid back on and return the pot to the oven.
Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown.
Cool the soda bread on a wire rack before noshing.
