Irish soda bread recipe for Christmas
Easy Irish Soda Bread recipe
Sometimes making homemade bread feels like it could be difficult and time consuming, but it's your lucky day. Mrs Doyle's Irish soda bread can be made quickly and easily by almost anyone. Yes this is a shortcut bread but it certainly doesn’t skimp on flavor.
Irish soda bread is so easy because it only needs a few ingredients, and the one that makes it taste so good is buttermilk. The buttermilk is so important because it reacts with the baking soda and so permits the bread’s leavening, and of course it gives the bread that great flavor, so with a cup of the best Irish tea and a slice of soda bread you can relax and if you are living far away from Ireland or if you are with friends and family you will always feel at home with this great soda bread and a nice cup of Mrs Doyle's tea .
- Mrs Doyle soda bread recipe gives a bread that has a golden brown crust and also a dense crumb, just lovely. Mrs Doyle's Irish bread isn’t heavy, it’s really tender and soft, the crust is perfectly crisp as soon as it comes out of the oven, and in a day or two it's even better and it is the perfect bread for an great Irish breakfast , so if you are sending a friend or relative an Irish gift for Christmas or a Irish gift hamper well why not make up Mrs Doyle's Irish soda bread and send it to them as well Go On Go
- So how do you make the best Irish soda bread? The method
- First whisk buttermilk and one egg together, at the same time whisk a little sugar, flour, baking soda, together in another bowl. Now cut some butter into the flour mixture, remember that cutting the butter into the flour is an important step, and this is how you get the great flaky texture. Go on use your hands and mix it up, and then using a very good knife, score the dough, so that heat gets into the center so that the bread will bake well. Also please note that Irish soda bread can be made without an egg, it's really up to you. However an egg will add a little richness to the soda bread. Feel free to skip it to make a slightly lighter loaf. No other changes necessary, and if eggs are not for you ,simply leave out the egg. Finally bake until it's golden brown as easy as it gets .
Ingredients
-
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 4 and quarter cups all-purpose flour
- 1 and three quarter cups buttermilk
- 1 large egg this is optional
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- and depending on your taste 1 cup raisins, but you can leave them out if you like !
This Irish soda bread has a little sugar, but not too much, and It’s a wonderful for afternoon tea and you can serve it with butter, jam, or even a nice Tipperary cheese.
- COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Use a ordinary baking sheet and line it with parchment paper , grease a 9-10 inch cake pan or maybe a pie dish. Now grease or line with parchment paper. You will need to whisk the buttermilk and egg together, and then set it to one side. Next whisk the flour, the sugar, the baking soda, and salt all together in a big bowl. Next cut in the butter with your fingers, also remember to do your best to cut the butter until the butter is tiny balls sized crumbs. Stir in the raisins if you decide to use them. Now pour in the buttermilk .
- Now its time to fold the dough together until dough is really stiff .Pour the crumbly dough onto a little floured surface. Finally with your hands, work the dough into a ball, then knead it until all the flour is moistened. What next ? simply transfer the dough to the prepared pan and using a very sharp knife score the dough with a X about 1/2 inch deep.
- Now it's time to bake until the bread is golden brown and center appears cooked through, this will take about 45-55 minutes. Place foil over the bread if you see a heavy browning on top. Now remove the bread from the oven and let the bread cool for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a plate.
- It is best to serve warm, or at least at room temperature, or toasted with desired toppings/spreads. You can store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 2 days or actually put it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Ok now its time to enjoy so Go on sit back with a nice cup of Mrs Doyle's Irish tea and jam and enjoy the best soda bread ever!
