Sorry, no pictures for this one - but I promise it's very tasty!
Makes 1 approx. dinner-plate sized loaf
Ingredients:
-
3 1/2 cups flour
-
1 Tbsp sugar
-
1 tsp salt
-
1 tsp baking soda
-
2 tsp dried herbs (I used Italian blend)
-
4 Tbsp butter (room temperature)
-
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Time Commitment:
~1 hour (including
baking time)
How to Make it Happen:
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking
soda, and herbs.
2. Work the
butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Using my
fingers actually works the best for me, but a fork works as well.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add
buttermilk and gently mix by folding the flour over the buttermilk until it’s
just combined. It should not be runny or dry, so adjust flour/buttermilk ratio
as needed.
4. Shape dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured
surface. Knead a few times to shape it into a round loaf, but don’t over-knead
or the bread will be tough. Because there’s no yeast in soda bread, kneading
doesn’t help it.
5. Place loaf onto a lightly greased baking sheet and cut
approx. 1 inch deep cuts to form a cross on top of the loaf. This helps the
bread bake evenly, so don’t leave out the cuts.
6. Bake for 15 minutes at 450 deg F, then lower heat to 400
deg F and bake for another 25 minutes. To check for doneness, turn loaf over
and tap the bottom to make sure it sounds hollow.
7. Let bread cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then
dig in and enjoy! Quick breads are best eaten soon after baking, so it’s best
to make right before serving, but the day of is also okay.
Note: Adapted from this recipe Caraway Soda Bread
[xπ]
