Simple Irish soda bread
Get the glorious benefit of warm, fresh bread in about an hour!
YIELDS
5
TO
6
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups whole milk
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups spelt flour
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface and dusting
- 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 oz (4 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup wheat bran
- 1 cup currants
- Salted butter, for serving
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Mix milk and vinegar in a small bowl, and let stand until thickened, about five minutes.
- Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in unsalted butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add bran and currants and stir to distribute.
- Pour milk mixture into flour mixture; stir until dough just holds together but is still sticky. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat and press the dough gently into a round, dome-shaped loaf, about seven inches in diameter. Transfer to prepared sheet.
- Lightly dust the top of the loaf with flour. With a sharp knife, cut an X into the top, three-quarter inch deep. Bake, rotating halfway through until the loaf is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about one hour and 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Soda bread is best eaten the day it is made; serve with salted butter. Enjoy!
