We are, as you might guess, fans of baked goods. Especially bread. But we have always been a little iffy on Irish soda bread. It often tastes, to us, a little flat (pun intended). Still, we’ve eaten our fair share in the last few weeks, and baked our very own loaves. We think we have learned the secret to a genuinely tasty soda bread. (It won’t surprise you if you’ve spent much time in Ireland!)
But first: what is soda bread? It’s bread risen with baking soda and sour milk (traditionally) or buttermilk (these days). Depending on the region, or family tradition, one shapes it into a round and then cuts into four triangles, or bakes in a rectangle loaf pan, or even cooks on a griddle or under coals. (We suspect most everybody uses an oven these days, though.) Like the other classics of Irish cuisine, soda bread is poor food. There are no eggs or yeast here, just those two ingredients we mentioned, plus soft flour and salt. For purists, that’s it. This bread is undeniably interesting: it’s crumbly, which means it goes nicely into stews, and it fills you up a treat should you happen to be suffering through a potato famine.
But we think soda bread needs just a bit more to move it into the category of genuinely tasty. And just about every one we’ve sampled, in restaurants, bakeries and homes, has a special addition, often one passed down for generations: caraway seeds, raisins, walnuts, oats, treacle (= molasses, more or less), Guinness… We like those last three, especially in combination: the first adds texture, the second counteracts some of the sourness, and the Guinness gives it a lovely colour and flavour. Plus, as everyone knows (at least around here) Guinness is good for you!
After a couple of false starts, here’s the recipe we used to make our best loaf yet. No surprise to learn that it includes Guinness, molasses, and oats! We liked pretty much everything about this loaf, including the smell it made in the oven. Unlike many versions of Irish soda bread we’ve had, it’s moist. But still crumbly. It tastes substantial but also – thanks to the extras – rich. And it pairs brilliantly with butter. In fact, that’s pretty much all it needs. So we guess we’re starting to understand what the big deal is.
We certainly won’t be giving up on eating boules any time soon, or any of our other favourites. But (our new and improved) soda bread pairs beautifully with Irish food, i.e. hearty stews, soups, and even – for those fancy days – smoked salmon!
Here’s our best loaf, fresh out of the oven (below, and above). We’re pretty pleased with ourselves, and with it.
