TWD:BWJ Irish Soda Bread

A Walk Through The Bible In One Year
Bringing the Story to Life
Week 8 reading plan per day:
Click on the colored link to read each day’s scripture.
Monday (Numbers 18-20) Tuesday (Numbers 21-22)
Wednesday (Numbers 23-25) Thursday (Numbers 26-27)
Friday (Numbers 28-30) Saturday (Numbers 31-33)
Sunday (Numbers 34-36)

Yeah! It is Tuesdays With Dorie and I am ready with Irish Soda Bread!  This isn’t my first time to make Irish Soda bread, but I haven’t made it for quite some time.  I am such a big yeast bread fan and when making biscuits I usually make then southern style, loaded with butter and buttermilk!  Having just celebrated St. Patrick’s Day it seems a bit anti-climatic to post about soda bread but actually this is a year-around bread and in Ireland, “plain” soda bread is as likely to be eaten as an accompaniment to a main meal (to soak up the gravy) as it’s likely to appear at breakfast. Soda bread basically comes in two main colors, brown and white.  Our TWD bread is of the white variety.  As is tradition there are just four ingredients.
The bread gets its “lift” from the baking soda combining with buttermilk.  The buttermilk gives the bread a little tangy flavor and the softest of texture. Baking soda will last for quite a long time on your cupboard shelf, but it will eventually lose its potency and expire.  If you’re wondering if yours is still good, it’s best to find out with a quick test before baking   Baking soda needs an acid to get a reaction.  Mix 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar to 1/2 cup of water.  Add in 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.  If it bubbles … your soda is good to go!!!  If you don’t see bubbles, then sadly, you’ll need to take a trip to the store and buy a fresh box!

I made this loaf of bread with company coming over for dinner and I needed to make it early so I could have the kitchen cleaned up.  At the bottom of the recipe under STORING Dorie writes, “The bread can be kept for a few hours, wrapped and at room temperature, but by the end of the day, with just the wee bit of fat that’s in the buttermilk, it will turn as hard as the Blarney Stone.”  Oh great.  Dinner was a good 5 hours away when I took this lovely loaf from the oven.  So, I wrapped it in a lightly moist towel and kept it on the counter until dinner. Irish Soda bread is known by the keep cuts into the dough prior to baking.
I warmed it a little bit in the oven and it was perfect when served!
Serving this up with a pot roast surrounded by a tasty gravy, the thick, hearty texture and simple, yet complex, flavor was delicious.  So whether you are toasting and slathering with butter and jam,  or soaking up extra broth from your favorite Irish stew this big biscuity (new word) bread is as good in November as it is in March!
As is the usual with Tuesdays With Dorie the actual recipe is posted on the blogs by the hosts chosen for this recipe.  This time Carla from Chocolate Moosey will post the recipe along with Cathleen from My Culinary Mission.  You can click on their blogs and check out the bread they made and the recipe too!  Should you decide you would like to buy the book I have put a link to the right of this blog post and it will take you to Amazon fast and easy!

Very soon I hope to make some Brown Soda Bread … and you will be the first to see the pics and get the recipe!

Many Blessings and Happy Cooking!!