Sunday, March 20, 2011

Irish Soda Bread: Take II

I liked the Irish Soda Bread so much that I decided to make it again, making a few changes to play with different flavors. Truly it is so easy to whip up this little orb of a loaf, I can see how this was quite literally the Irish's daily bread. So. I decided to use rosemary this time, and added a bit of whole wheat flour for some fiber. It was just as delicious as the original, and makes a righteous grilled cheese! There are limitless possibilities with this base recipe (here). 

Rosemary Bread
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat fluor
1 T white sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp wheat gluten (optional to help with rise, if you have it)
1 T dried rosemary

Stir the milk and vinegar together, and allow to stand until curdled, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Grease a cast iron skillet, if you have one. Otherwise a small baking sheet will work. 

In a medium bowl, mix together the flours, sugar, baking soda, salt and wheat gluten. Stir in the rosemary. Gradually stir the soured milk into the flour mixture until the dough just comes together, then turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Knead a few times, and form into a round shape. 

Place the dough down in the cast iron skillet. Using a knife, cut an X shape into the top of the dough to help the bread keep its round shape. Sprinkle lightly with flour and a few sprigs of rosemary. 

Bake until golden brown, about 40-45 minutes.

We arrived back home from church around 11am this morning and we were eating grilled cheese sandwiches with this bread by noon...yea, it's that easy.

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