Title: IRISH SODA BREAD

Categories: Breads, Irish

Yield: 1 loaf



3 1/2 cup Flour

1/2 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking soda

1 1/4 cup Sour milk; to 2 1/2 cups



Calories per serving: 154 Approx. Cook

Time: 1:00



"Sour milk" is milk that has had a couple of teaspoons of buttermilk

stirred into it, has been put in a scalded container and wrapped in a

towel, and left in some peaceful corner at about 75 degrees F for 24

hours. The original Irish name is *bainne clabhair*, "clabbered milk", or

"bonnyclabber" as the Scots have anglicized it. The flavor isn't *quite*

as tart as buttermilk, but there's enough acid to make the bicarb react

correctly. If you don't have time to do sour milk, buttermilk will do

perfectly well. Sweet milk doesn't work as well, and your bread may not

rise correctly: if you're going to use sweet milk, use baking powder

instead of bicarbonate of soda.



First, decide whether you're making farl or cake. If farl, find your

heaviest frying pan (cast iron is best) and put it on to preheat at a

low-medium heat. (You're going to have to experiment with settings. Farl

should take about 20 minutes per side to get a slight toasty brown.) If

making cake, preheat the oven to 450 F and find a baking sheet. Full

preheating is vital for soda bread.



Sift the dry ingredients together several times to make sure the soda is

evenly distributed. Put them in a good big bowl (you want stirring room)

and make a well in the center. Pour about half the buttermilk or sour milk

or whatever in, say about a cup and a quarter, and start stirring. You are

trying to achieve a dough that is raggy and very soft, but the lumps and

rags of it should look dryish and "floury", while still being extremely

squishy if you poke them. Add more liquid very sparingly if you think you

need it. Blend until the whole mass of dough has become this raggy

consistency.



Then turn the contents of the bowl out immediately onto a lightly floured

board, and start to knead. The chief concern here is speed: the chemical

reaction of the bicarb with the buttermilk started as soon as they met,

and you want to get the bread into the oven while the reaction is still

running on "high". DON'T OVERKNEAD. 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 mostly cohesive lump. You should not spend more than a minute or

so kneading...the less, the better. You *don't* want to develop the gluten

in the flour. If you do, you'll get a tough loaf. Once you're done

kneading, shape the bread. For cake, flatten the lump of dough to a

circle about 6-8 inches in diameter, and put it on the baking sheet. 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.



If you're making farl, flatten the dough ball out to a circle big enough

that the farls are about 3/4 inch thick. Too thick, and they won't bake

properly. Then use the same very sharp knife to cut the circle of dough

into four wedges. Try not to crush or compress the dough where you cut it

(if the knife is sharp enough, you won't). Then bake. When putting cake

in the oven, handle it lightly and don't jar it: the CO2 bubbles are a

little vulnerable at this point of the process. Let it alone, and don't

peek at it. It should bake for 45 minutes at 450F. If making farl, dust

the hot griddle or frying pan with a little flour, and put the farls in

gently. The cut edges should be 1/2 inch or so apart to allow for

expansion. Give the farls 20 minutes on a side; they should be a sort of

mocha-toasty color before you turn them. Keep an eye on the heat--they

scorch easily. The heat should be quite "slow". The farls will rise to

about twice their original height. If you're making cake: At the end of 45

minutes, pick up the loaf and tap the bottom. A hollow sound means it's

done. For a very crunchy crust, put on a rack to cool. For a softer crust,

wrap the cake in a clean dishcloth as soon as it comes out of the oven.



Diane Duane







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