Herbed Soda Bread

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 

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