Irish Soda Bread #1

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.01

Title: Irish Soda Bread #1
Categories: Breads, Irish
Yield: 8 servings

3 1/2 c Flour 1/2 ts Bicarbonate of soda
1/2 ts Sugar 1 1/4 c Buttermilk: to 2 1/2 c *
1/2 ts Salt

* You will need somewhere between these two amounts of buttermilk,
depending on how much liquid your flour tends to absorb. Try to avoid using
regular milk: if you must, use baking powder instead of bicarbonate of
soda. -- Lightly grease a heavy skillet (if making "soda farl", the flat
version of soda bread) or preheat the oven to 450 F (if making "soda cake",
the round, more breadlike version.) Sift the dry ingredients together into
a large bowl; make sure the soda is evenly distributed. Make a well in the
center of the dry mixture and add about half the buttermilk. Stir until you
have a raggy dough that is very squashy but which looks more or less dry.
Add more liquid sparingly until you achieve this texture. Blend until all
the flour has achieved this consistency; then turn out immediately onto a
lightly floured board and knead ***for no more than a minute or a minute
and a half***. Overkneading makes this bread very tough, and it's very easy
to overdo it. If making soda cake, shape the dough into a circle about 8-9
inches across and about an inch and a half thick. Cut a cross about on the
top, about half an inch deep, and place on a floured baking sheet. Bake at
450 F for 45-50 minutes. If making soda farl, shape the dough into a circle
about 9 inches by one inch thick and cut into four wedges or "farls": place
in the preheated skillet, with cut edges about half an inch apart. Cook
slowly on the stovetop over low-to-medium heat: it should take about 20
minutes for the farls to puff up and turn a light brown on the pan side.
Turn them and cook for another 20 minutes. -- For a softer crust on either
soda cake or soda farl, wrap in a dishtowel after baking. -- For more
information on making sodabread and its variations, please see the file
"SODABRED.TXT" included with this zipfile.

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