Mums Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe Brown Bread

MUM'S TRADITIONAL IRISH SODA BREAD RECIPE (BROWN BREAD)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F (215°C).
• Mix together the flours, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles bread crumbs.
• In a separate jug, whisk the egg and buttermilk together (see note on how to make Buttermilk below)
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the liquid, 3/4 at once, into the flour mixture.
• Using an open hand bring the flour and liquid together to a loose dough. The dough should be quite soft, but not too sticky. You will know then if it needs more of the liquids. (Flour in different places reacts differently to added liquid).
• Turn onto a floured work surface and gently bring the dough together into a round, about 1 1/2 inches (4cm) thick (8 inches by 8 inches).
• Place on a baking sheet dusted well with flour.
• Score the bread by blessing it with a deep cross on top. Poke a hole in the 4 corners of the bread to release the fairies and stop them from cursing your beautiful bread.
• Glaze the bread with the leftover bit of buttermilk in your jug and dust the top with rolled oats.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 400°F (200°C) and bake for 30 minutes more. When done, the loaf will sound slightly hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from the baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool.

MOM'S IRISH SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Grease a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.
• Spoon 1 tablespoon of the buttermilk into a small bowl; place remainder of 1 cup buttermilk into a separate bowl.
• Stir golden raisins into the larger amount of buttermilk and allow raisins to soak while you complete the remaining steps.
• Spoon 1 tablespoon of the melted butter into the small bowl with the tablespoon of buttermilk; stir to combine and set aside. Set remaining melted butter aside.
• Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in reserved butter, and stir until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Mix the egg into the flour mixture until thoroughly combined.
• Mix the soaked raisins with buttermilk into dough and shape dough into a ball.
• Place the ball of dough into prepared pie dish and lightly pat dough down so top is slightly domed.
• Use a sharp knife to cut two crisscrossing lines through the center of the loaf about 1/4 inch deep.
• Thoroughly brush buttermilk and butter mixture over the loaf, getting the mixture into the crevices.
• Bake in the preheated oven until loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour.