Best 8 White Soda Bread Recipes

WHITE SODA BREAD

Steps:

• First fully preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Sift the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center. Pour all of the milk in at once. Using 1 hand, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well floured board.
• Wash and dry your hands.
• Knead lightly for a second, just enough to tidy it up, flip over. Pat the dough into a round about 12 inches (2.5 centimeters) and cut a cross on it to let the fairies out! Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure of this. Bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread: if it is cooked it will sound hollow.
• Soda bread only takes 2 or 3 minutes to make and 20 to 30 minutes to bake. It is certainly another of my 'great convertibles'. We have had the greatest fun experimenting with different variations and uses. It's also great with olives, sun-dried tomatoes or caramelized onions added, so the possibilities are endless for the hitherto humble soda bread.

WHITE SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly flour baking sheet. Mix flour, caraway seeds, if using, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Mix in enough buttermilk to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Turn out onto lightly flour surfaced and knead just until dough holds together, about 1 minute. Shape dough into 6-inch-diameter by 2-inch-high round. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cut 1-inch-deep X across top of bread, extending almost to edges. Bake until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, about 35 minutes. Transfer bread to rack and cool completely.

HERBED WHITE SODA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, make a well in the center and pour all of the buttermilk in at once. Using 1 hand, stir in a full circle starting in the center of the bowl working towards the outside of the bowl until all the flour is incorporated. The dough should be soft but not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, a matter of seconds, turn it out onto a well-floured board. WASH AND DRY YOUR HANDS. Roll dough around gently with floured hands for a second, just enough to tidy it up, flip the dough over. Pat the dough into a round about 1 1/2-inches deep. Sprinkle a little flour onto the center of a baking sheet and place the loaf on top of the flour. Cut a deep cross on it with a sharp knife, prick the four sections to let the fairies out. Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure of this.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until just cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread: if it is cooked it will sound hollow. Cool on a wire rack.

WHITE SODA BREAD WITH VARIATIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together into a mixing bowl.
• Make a well in the center.
• Pour in most of the buttermilk.
• Stir just until all ingredients are incorporated. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Add the remaining buttermilk if it's too dry.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Roll it around a little to make it neater. Don't knead.
• Pat dough into a round loaf about 2" high.
• Place on a lightly floured baking sheet.
• Using a sharp knife, cut a deep cross in the center of the dough.
• Irish folklore insists that you must now prick each section of the dough with your knife, to let the Little People out (what they're doing in your bread in the first place, I can't imagine).
• Bake 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 400°F and bake until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped, about 25 minutes more.
• For the variations, stir in the additional ingredients before adding the buttermilk.

WHITE SODA BREAD AND SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• In a mixing bowl sift together 1 pound flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Make a well in the center. Pour most of the milk into the well. Using one hand, mix in the flour from sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn the dough onto a well-floured counter. Wash and dry hands. Knead lightly for 1 second, just to tidy it up, flip over. Pat dough into a round about 1 1/2 inches deep and cut a cross into dough over the sides of the bread to let the fairies out. Bake in preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 400 degrees for another 30 minutes or until cooked. If in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread, it should sound hollow.

WHITE SODA BREAD OR SCONES WITH HERBS

Steps:

• Add fresh herbs to dry ingredients of white soda bread dough and proceed making dough as above. Shape into loaf or scones and bake as for soda bread. If making scones bake for 20 minutes in a 450 degree oven.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• In a mixing bowl sift together 1 pound flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Make a well in the center. Pour most of the milk into the well. Using one hand, mix in the flour from sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn the dough onto a well-floured counter. Wash and dry hands. Knead lightly for 1 second, just to tidy it up, flip over. Pat dough into a round about 11/2 inches deep and cut a cross into dough over the sides of the bread to let the fairies out. Bake in preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 400 degrees for another 30 minutes or until cooked. If in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread, it should sound hollow.

NANA KATHLEEN'S IRISH WHITE SODA FRUIT BREAD

Steps:

• 1. Preheat your oven to 425F
• 2. In a large bowl, sieve the flour and bread soda together (make sure you sieve the breadsoda before you sieve it with the flour)
• 3. Add salt, sugar and raisins. mix the ingredients together lifting them above the bowl and letting them fall loosely back into the bowl. Always use your hands and never a mixer.
• 4. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Break the egg into the bottom of a jug and add buttermilk. Pour most of this liquid into the flour. Using your hand with fingers open and stiff mix in a circle drawing in the flour from the sides. Add remainder of buttermilk if necessary. Dough should be soft not too wet
• 5. Mix as quickly as possible to keep dough light and airy, NEVER over mix. When the dough comes together turn it on to to a well floured centre. roll lightly for a few seconds,pat into a round about 2in high
• 6. Place dough on a baking tray dusted with flour. Cut a deep cross in it and prick the four triangles with your knife (to let the fairies out). Put in oven for 15-20 mins then reduce temp to 400f for a further 20-25 mins. when the bread is cooked it will sound hollow when tapped cool on a wire rack
• 7. cut a slice and smother with butter to have with a cup of tea

WHITE SODA BREAD

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly flour baking sheet. Mix flour, caraway seeds, if using, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Mix in enough buttermilk to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead just until dough holds together, about 1 minute.
• 2. Shape dough into 6-inch-diameter by 2-inch-high round. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cut 1-inch-deep X across top of bread, extending almost to edges. Bake until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, about 35 minutes. Transfer bread to rack and cool completely.
• 3. NOTE: make sure you have a 1-inch deep X. If it is too shallow of a cut, the middle of the bread will not bake completely by the time the bread is browned.