Irish Soda Bread

The Art.
    As someone who does not enjoy beer, whiskey, nor crowded pubs, I wasn't particularly looking forward to St. Patrick's Day this year. My feelings soon changed when Roommate Susan introduced me to Irish soda bread. Finally, I have a way to celebrate Irish culture that doesn't include drinking a green brew. Soda bread uses baking soda to leaven instead of yeast, to accommodate the "soft" wheat flour produced in 1800's Ireland [1]. The upshot of this is that you can toss all the ingredients together and have a beautiful loaf of bread in under an hour--no rising or kneading required. Now, the Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread (yes, this actually exists) is very adamant that traditional soda bread should only contain flour, buttermilk, salt, and baking soda. They believe that any additional flavors are a stain upon their beloved heritage. I'm not Irish, so I snubbed my nose at tradition and added dried currants and caraway seeds, simmered with a splash of whiskey to release the aromatic flavors. The SPISB may consider it a crime, but I bet the Irish would have done the same if they hadn't been in the middle of the Potato Famine.

The Science.
     When making bread, a leavening agent must be added to the dough so the bread will rise. Most bread recipes call for live yeast as the leavening agent. The yeast metabolizes sugar within the dough and produces carbon dioxide gas, making the dough rise and become light [2]. However, it takes about an hour for the yeast to produce enough carbon dioxide in the raw dough to make a nicely leavened bread. On the other hand, quickbreads use baking soda and/or baking powder as the leavening agent. In combination with an acidic component, such as buttermilk, the baking soda also creates carbon dioxide bubbles within the dough. This reaction occurs quickly in the oven, and does not require a rising time before the dough is baked. Since this Irish soda bread is a quickbread, it is an ideal project for impatient bakers who want to make homemade bread.

The Recipe.
1 1/4 cups dried currants
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
3 tablespoons whiskey
1 tablespoon water
2.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2  teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten



     Preheat oven to 350°F and coat a cookie sheet with baking spray. Place currants, caraway seeds, whiskey and water in small saucepan and simmer on low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter, and crumble into flour mixture with fingertips until combined. Add buttermilk and egg and stir until combined. Fold in currants and caraway seeds. Form dough into a ball and place on cookie sheet, scoring a cross into the top of the loaf. Bake on center rack for 40 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Soda bread is best served warm, with butter or jam.


1. "Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread," http://www.sodabread.info/index.htm
2. Young, Linda and Cauvain, Stanley. Technology of Breadmaking. New York, NY: Springer Science
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