|
 |
Quick-Breads,
Muffins, Scones, Biscuits, & More ... |
|
|
|
For a long time, most of the bread made in
Ireland was soda bread. |
 Soda
Breads:
The original
recipe for the Irish soda bread, was made from just four
ingredients:
flour
(whole wheat being the traditional one used),
baking soda
for leavening, hence its name, salt and
buttermilk
or
sour milk.
(NOTE: Both currants, raisins and caraway seeds,
commonly found in today's recipes, were NOT part of the original recipe.)
Soda breads came
about in the mid-19th century because of experiments with leavening agents,
which make breads rise. Served warm for any meal, right from the oven or lightly
toasted, soda breads are one of the most comforting and tasty treats around.
|
"Plain" soda bread comes
in two main colors, brown and white, referring to colors of flour (whole
wheat and all-purpose), and are widely made in Ireland. There are two main
types: "cake" and "farl".
Originally they were cooked in an iron bastible or pot oven beside the open
fire. The two main types are split primarily along regional lines in
Ireland: People in the south tend to make cake, while people in the North
seem to like farl better (though both kinds appear in both North and South,
sometimes under wildly differing names).
 |
Cake is soda bread
that is kneaded and shaped into a flattish round, dome-shaped loaf.
It is then scored with a traditional cross which allows the crumb to
open, much like a blooming flower. However legend says, that it is
there to scare away the devil. Cake soda breads are then baked on a
baking sheet in the oven. Cake soda breads can also be made in a bread
machine, as in the
Bread Machine Soda Bread
Recipe. |
|
|
Farl is lightly
kneaded and rolled out into a rough circle and cut through, crosswise,
into four pieces (the "farls": farl is a generic term for any
triangular piece of baking).
It is usually baked in a heavy frying
pan or on a griddle, on top of the range rather than in the oven.
|
|
|
With soda bread
recipes today, the original ingredients of flour, baking soda, salt and
buttermilk are still used, but over time, additional ones have been added:
all-purpose flour is more commonly used than the traditional whole wheat flour
and baking powder is often substituted for the baking soda or just added in, as
well. Although baking powder does not need acid to work, it does seem to change
the character of the soda bread, different from the original.
| When baked,
soda bread's rise comes from the carbon dioxide gas released by the chemical
reaction of baking soda and buttermilk, an acidic ingredient, and the heat
from the oven. |
I have also seen recipes with
added butter cut in for added richness and flakiness, sugar for a bit of
sweetness and caraway seeds as a flavor enhancer. Other ingredients include
oatmeal for chew and texture and eggs for a cakelike soda bread. People also put
raisins, currants and dried fruit in soda bread, but almost always as a "tea
bread", not in the "plain soda" which is traditional for everyday consumption.
The baking soda and
buttermilk combination in Irish soda bread recipes has always been crucial, as
baking soda needs an acid like buttermilk to be effective immediately. This made
them able to be mixed and baked right away, in contrast to
yeast
breads, which required a long,
slow rise. Because the baking soda starts releasing its leavening power when
mixed with the buttermilk, quickness in getting it into the oven to bake is of
utmost important.
|
Soda Breads are made as a special and
traditional St. Patrick's Day bread. |
Just as the original recipes,
today's soda breads are mixed by first blending the dry ingredients, such as
flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, making a well in the center of it,
and then adding 3/4 of the buttermilk to it. Add more liquid
You do not want the traditional
"smooth, elastic" ball of dough you would expect with a yeast bread; you simply
want one that contains almost everything that went into the bowl, in one
cohesive and raggy looking lump. Don't be concerned if the dough is somewhat
sticky: flour your hands, and the dough, and keep going as quickly as you can.
The contents of the bowl are immediately turned onto a lightly floured board or
work surface, and no more than half a minute or so doing it; the less time, the
better.
Once you're done kneading, shape the bread.
For cake, flatten the lump of dough to a slightly domed circle or flat
hemisphere about 6-8 inches in diameter, and put it on the baking sheet (which
should be dusted lightly with flour first). Then use a very sharp knife to cut a
cross right across the circle: the cuts should go about halfway down through the
sides of the circle of dough, so that the loaf will "flower" properly. Then
bake.
|
Soda breads are best eaten right
from the oven, but once cooled, they can be bagged in an airtight wrapper,
where they will keep for 2 - 3 days on the countertop. They can also be
stored in the freezer. |
When putting cake in the oven, handle it
lightly and don't jar it: the CO2 bubbles are vulnerable at this point of the
process. Let the bread alone, and don't peek at it. To check for doneness, take
the loaf out of the oven and with hot mitts, pick up the loaf and tap the
bottom. If you hear a hollow-ish sound, that means it's done. For a very crunchy
crust, put on a wire cake rack to cool. For a softer crust, wrap the cake in a
clean dishcloth as soon as it comes out of the oven.
If you're making farl, use a very sharp knife
to cut the circle of dough into four wedges. Try not to crush the bread
Permission granted for "Excerpt (c) 1995-2004 Diane Duane"
Original material found on
http://www.europeancuisines.com/PetersMumsSodaBreadRecipe.html
|
| |
