Irresistible Irish Soda Bread|Print

Servings: 20

All-purpose flour

4 cups

Baking soda

1 tsp.

Baking powder

1 tbsp.

White sugar

4 tbsp.

Salt

1/2 tsp.

Egg, beaten

Buttermilk

1 cup + ¼ cup, divided

Butter

1/2 cup, softened + ¼ cup, melted

Irresistible Irish Soda Bread

Prep:

15 m

Cook:

1 h 5 m

Ready in:

1 h 20 m

Turn on the oven to preheat to 375°F/190°C/Gas Mark 5.
Grease a large baking sheet with a little butter or cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and soda, sugar, and salt) together to aerate. Stir in ½ cup softened butter.
Beat the egg into 1 cup buttermilk; pour over the flour mixture and mix.
Transfer dough onto a flour-dusted working surface and knead with your hands for several minutes.
Shape the kneaded dough into a ball and place onto the greased baking sheet.
Mix ¼ cup buttermilk with butter and brush the loaf with this mixture.
Use a sharp knife to cut a cross on top of the loaf and pop it in the oven. If you can spare the time, brush the loaf with the buttermilk-butter mixture several times while it is baking.
Bake for about 30 minutes; test if the bread has baked through with a toothpick. After 50 minutes in the oven, the bread should be fully baked.