I love bread and love learning to bake it. In some of my reading the characters talk about Irish Soda bread. So, I decided to try to make some. I tried the Dutch Oven Irish Soda Bread recipe from QuicheMyGrits.com (love the name) which uses a small 3-QT dutch oven.
(My smallest dutch oven a 4-QT Le Creuset I received a few Christmases ago. It worked fine but there may be a 3-QT on my wish list soon.)
Irish Soda Bread doesn't require proofing so you can have fresh bread in under 1 hour, yep 1 hour. That alone intrigued me since my normal bread takes about 4 hours. This bread doesn't require yeast, eggs, nor kneading, but you must use buttermilk. The recipe used includes butter which from what I have learned is not traditional which I am thinking will be my next go at Irish Soda Bread.
The bread came out delicious. Not quite what was expected, but delicious. A few things I will do different the next time I try this recipe:
- Use a food processor to grate the butter
I think my hands were too warm for the frozen butter. It was very soft by the time I finished.
- Don't use Baker's Joy spray, instead oil and flour by hand or use parchment paper
The bottom of the bread was very dark from the spray. Probably partially due to the pan being larger and me being heavyhanded with the spray.
- Use a 10-inch cast iron skillet
Mostly, just to see how it comes out.
Nonetheless, the bread was so good! I am also thinking of trying some of the variations seen like using whole wheat, oats, and such.
Recipe: Dutch Oven Irish Soda Bread, QuicheMyGrits.com
Key Ingredients:
Equipment Used:
- 4-qt. Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Oven - the one I have is from Le Creuset and no longer sold. The recipe calls for a 3-qt. and includes a link to one from Lodge.
7-November-2023 Update:
A tasty variation of soda bread is the Caraway Soda Bread recipe from Simply Recipes. I made it with SACO Cultured Buttermilk Blend and water instead of fresh buttermilk.
