Irish Soda Bread (Traditional)

If you've grown up like I did with the version of this bread that's available in all American bakeries and grocery stores in the week or so before St Patrick's Day, with raisins and sugar, this recipe will be nothing like what you're imagining.  You see, like most American St Patrick's day traditions- corned beef and cabbage, green beer, and the utterly inexplicable wearing of kilts, often in Scottish tartans- the soda bread you see in the shops is an Irish American invention.  The traditional Irish version is much simpler, and not a sweet bread.  

What it is, really, is just a simple white or brown quick bread.  It dates from the early 19th century, when most homes did not have ovens.  Breads were baked on the hearth instead, or else in a large cast-iron pot that could be placed directly in the fire- hence the bread's round shape.  The introduction of baking soda around this time made baking a loaf of bread daily much quicker and easier- no waiting around for the bread to rise- which made at-home baking possible even for farm families who all worked the fields all day.  Soda bread in it's simplest form is made from just four ingredients: flour, baking soda, buttermilk, and salt.  Brown (whole grain, less finely milled) flour was cheaper, and so was used for everyday, while the finer white flour, and maybe sometimes some dried fruit, sugar, or an egg for special occasions.  Here follows the basic recipe, using white all-purpose flour because I didn't have whole grain on hand:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1 tsp baking soda

• pinch of salt 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 and sprinkle a cookie sheet with flour. Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Add buttermilk a little at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon after each addition. When the mixture forms a crumbly dough, form into a ball. Place the dough on the prepared cookie sheet and cut a deep cross in the top (at least half way through the dough). DO NOT skip this step, as the bread will not bake evenly otherwise (or the fairies won't be able to get out, if we're being superstitious). Bake in the preheated oven 30-45 minutes, or until the outside is golden brown, the loaf has at least doubled in size, and the bread makes a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

It's really that simple.  While I was researching this recipe, I found everything from the common American quick bread with raisins to a few yeast breads labeled as Irish Soda Bread.  Many of these breads looked almost like deserts, and sounded like they took a lot of work to produce.  This, on the other hand, is so simple that I have no trouble baking it before breakfast on a Saturday morning.  It's great toasted or fresh out of the oven, smeared with butter and jam.