Photo courtesy Mediterra Bakehouse
Most people attribute soda bread to the Irish, but the quick bread was first made by Native Americans. “They were some of the first to combine soda in bread,” says Nick Ambeliotis of Mediterra Bakehouse. The Irish began making soda (baking soda) bread in the 1830s when baking soda was introduced to the United Kingdom and is now associated with St. Patrick’s Day.
If you want to try baking the Irish bread at home, Ambeliotis offers his recipe. Be sure to pick up some bread flour (King Arthur Bread Flour will do) and Demerara sugar, a natural crystal sugar with a butterscotch vibe to top off the bread. A couple of asides – you can use dark raisins, but Ambeliotis prefers golden; and don’t forget the caraway seeds. “It gives the bread a kind of spicy, savory flavor and cuts through the sweetness and the buttermilk.”
The bread is best enjoyed with a slab of Irish butter, he says. “But it’s very good alone. It speaks for itself.”
Mediterra Bakehouse Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
3 2/3 cup bread flour
3 tsp. salt
1.5 tsp. baking soda
1.5 tsp. baking powder
13.8 oz. buttermilk
4 tsp. caraway seeds
1 cup golden raisins
1-2 tbsp. Demerara sugar
Preparation
- Combine ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low for 3 minutes. Increase speed to medium and mix for 3 more minutes. Reduce speed to low and mix for 2 final minutes.
- Shape dough into two 20-oz. rounds. Place each on a cooking sheet, cover with a light cloth and let proof for 1 hour in a draft-free area.
- Preheat over to 375 degrees. Cut a cross ¾ inch deep on top of the dough. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Bake for 40 minutes on a baking sheet.
For those who want to purchase bread, you’ll find it this week only at AJ’s Fine Foods, Luci’s, Scottsdale Old Town Farmers’ Market and Uptown Farmers’ Market. mediterrabakehouse.com
