Irish Soad Bread Recipe - Loaf - Style

Dear Folks,

A year ago I posted my Irish Soda Bread Recipe and I decided to make and post a Loaf version because I like the way it turned out.

A couple of points about soda bread if you are not familiar with it.  Chemical leavening relies on a reaction between acid (buttermilk, yogurt or other acid foods) and baking soda or similar alkali.  This replaces yeast to create lift and rise.  Baking Powder does the same thing and is frequently called for in recipes using baking soda to boost the lift.

Also you must get the dough in the oven QUICKLY because the action can start to relax and you won't get the nice lift.

The original recipe did not use Baking Powder, but when I decided to make a loaf form instead of the traditional round form, I thought it needed some extra help based on some ideas I was reading.  So last year I tried a loaf form, I liked the way it came out, but did not post it.

I made my bread yesterday for use with today's Corned Beef meal - we are having company, so I wanted a more standard form of the loaf for easy slicing.

It turned out great, with wonderful lift and a great taste and texture (yes we had to sample it last night while it was still warm :-)

The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk, but I do not keep it on hand so the yogurt/milk combination works as an excellent replacement.

BTW - I am very bad, or good depending, on keeping and using up ALL things.  One of the my mistakes is to keep baking powder past its prime.  I learned that the hard way making some baked goods this past year - when I went and looked at the date - it was about 2 years out of date!  There are some things that this is okay with, not baking powder :-)

Catherine O'Crowley's Irish Bread*
(I did the O' in honor of my father, but have since learned there is a feminine version "Ní" so it should correctly should have been Ni'Crowley since I'm not a "son of" :-)

3 1/2 cups unbleached white whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur's)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup organic Greek Style Yogurt
1 cup whole milk
Flour for dusting

Preheat oven to 425.  Lightly flour your baking sheet.

Sift flour, salt and baking soda into a bowl.  Stir yogurt and milk to combine.
Create a well in the center of the flour mix and start adding the yogurt / milk mix stirring with a wooden spoon.  Continue adding all the liquid and combine until the dough holds together.  You may need to use your hands to get the last bit of dry melded into the dough.

Shape the dough into a 6-8 inch circle, place on baking sheet and flatten to about 2 inches high.  Use a knife to score a deep X almost all the way to the sides.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

Serve with good butter, honey, molasses or jam.


 * Loaf Version
For the loaf I made yesterday I used 1 cup of white whole wheat and the rest of the flour organic all-purpose.
add 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, spray a loaf pan but do not flour and increase the baking time to 40 minutes turning the loaf pan half-way through for evening browning.

. . .

If you like my recipes check out my two recipe books on the side bar.

Have a wonderful day!

P.S.  Have you seen my recent youtube videos?  Check them out on the sidebar here on the blog.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady If you enjoyed this post, subscribe in the upper side bar link, to get all my posts! Disclaimer: Clicking on links on this blog may earn me a small commission if you purchase something. Your price does not change.

Homey Hobbies -- Things Closer to Home

Dear Folks,

My two most obvious hobbies are gardening and cooking, and sometimes those two are more than sufficient to keep me occupied. At the same time, they can create some interesting "by-products" in the form of critters and reading. One could also call my writing a hobby except sometimes it takes over my life!

Although I no longer own miniature milking goats or laying hens, I positively reveled in owning and working with these 'additions to the garden.' When hand-raised as mine were, the goats were as keenly intelligent as dogs, would learn commands, and their names, and my hens came to their names , as well, when called and allowed me to hold them like babies and stroke their tummies. (The baby goats shown in the picture were from one of my 'girls' Sweet Annie.)

Some of the 'by-products' were the most delicious milk, yogurt and green eggs! (And yes, manure for the gardens.) The hens were aracanas sometimes called the "easter egg chicken" for their colorful egg shells which can range from pink, blue, and even green. The genetic working principle is the same as for brown or tan eggs.

The goats were Nigerian Dwarfs a type of milking goat known for their incredibly rich milk - one of the richest even among goats. "Dwarf" is a misnomer here as they are perfect miniatures.

Since I no longer have goats, I get to have my 'goat fix' assisting my friend Kathy Marshall with her goats. Kathy went a step further and makes lotions and soaps with the milk. Goats milk has special skin-care properties in addition to being more easily digested compared to cows milk for those who have milk issues.

You can visit Kathy at her website:

http://www.dbgoatsmilk.com/

Also if you want to know more about goats, you can email Kathy or me and we would be happy to answer questions. You do NEED to understand the proper care of goats in order to really enjoy them and their offerings.

My recreational reading includes cozy mysteries, the kind where there is no or minimal violence and the enjoyment is all about trying to figure out 'who dun it' while enjoying the characters' interaction.

While Christie's Poirot and Marple are some of my favorites, I discovered several series by authors whose expertise also included food -- a two-fer as I like to call these happy-stances, enjoyable reads with information and ideas too!

Susan Wittig-Albert's China Bayles Herb Shop Mystery series are absolute standouts.

Laura Child's Tea Shop Mystery series was an real eye-opener for me. I enjoy tea, but the author's knowledge of her subject matter together with a highly entertaining read has educated me on all things tea.

Cleo Coyle's Coffee Shop Mystery series is a little edgier than I usually enjoy but her characters, and her knowledge of coffee, are developing into another informative and entertaining series for me.

See the link in the side bar for my "Amazon - personal picks" to go to the amazon shop where I have links for the first books in each series (once on the page, click on "Cozy Mysteries with Food" in the upper right corner).

And one more entertainment companion I use is old time radio shows, while working on the computer. Since I do a lot of writing and researching on the computer, I like to listen to old time radio shows to keep me from turning into a computer-screen-zombie. See the link all the way at the bottom of my blog page to go to one of my favorite sources for hours and hours of shows. The site began as a hobby of Jon at Otrcat and has turned into a real passion.

Old time radio shows are a nice family option to just listening to the standard modern entertainment. The CDs each contain many hours of shows, can be played on computers or MP3 payers or most DVD players, and are a way of introducing the children to shows which were in many cases more wholesome. For any of the older members of the family it will be a great walk down memory lane.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady