Irish Soda Bread with Caraway

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Wooden spoon
• •Sharp knife for scoring
• •Rimmed baking sheet
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare your oven

   Heat your oven to 425F with a rack in the center position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. The hot oven is essential: it activates the baking soda immediately, creating the rise that yeast would otherwise provide.

   A Dutch oven creates an even better crust. Preheat it with the oven, then carefully lower the dough inside and bake covered for 30 minutes before uncovering.
2. 2

   Combine dry ingredients

   Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and caraway seeds in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. The caraway should be evenly distributed throughout the flour so every slice carries that distinctive warm, anise-like flavor.

3. 3

   Add buttermilk

   Pour the cold buttermilk into the well all at once. Using a wooden spoon or your hand, stir in quick circles from the center outward, gradually incorporating flour from the edges. Work quickly. The moment the buttermilk meets the baking soda, the chemical reaction begins. You have perhaps ninety seconds before you lose the rise.

   The dough should be shaggy and slightly sticky, not smooth. If it feels dry, add buttermilk a tablespoon at a time. If too wet, sprinkle in flour. Trust your hands.
4. 4

   Shape the loaf

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gather it together with floured hands. Pat gently into a round about 7 inches across and 2 inches tall. Do not knead. Kneading develops gluten, which gives you a tough, dense bread. Three or four gentle folds to bring it together is all you need.

5. 5

   Score the cross

   Transfer the round to your prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut a deep cross into the top of the loaf, slicing about halfway through the dough. This is not decoration. The cross allows heat to penetrate the center evenly, ensuring the bread bakes through without burning the crust.

6. 6

   Bake until golden

   Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the crust is deeply golden and the bottom sounds hollow when you tap it. The internal temperature should reach 200F if you want to be certain. Remove to a wire rack.

7. 7

   Rest before slicing

   Let the bread cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. The interior continues to set as it cools. Cutting too soon releases steam that would otherwise keep the crumb moist. Wrap a clean kitchen towel around the loaf while it rests if you prefer a softer crust.

   Soda bread is best the day it is made. The texture changes overnight. If you must store it, wrap tightly and toast slices the next morning.

Chef Tips

• •Seek out cultured buttermilk with active cultures rather than the acidified milk sold in most supermarkets. The flavor is rounder, the texture better. If you cannot find it, stir a tablespoon of white vinegar into regular milk and let it sit for ten minutes.
• •Cold buttermilk matters. It slows the reaction just enough to give you time to shape the dough before the rise begins.
• •Do not sift the flour. Soda bread should have texture and character. The small irregularities in stone-ground flour give the crumb its rustic quality.
• •Toast leftover slices in a hot cast iron pan with butter until golden on both sides. This is how the Irish have been using day-old soda bread for generations.

Advance Preparation

• •The dry ingredients can be whisked together and stored in an airtight container for up to a month, making this bread even faster when you need it.
• •Soda bread does not store well. Bake it the day you plan to eat it, or accept that tomorrow's bread will need toasting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 102g)