Okay, there are several variations, so I will post them all,
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This is the soda bread that I always make to go with soups and such, replaces traditional biscuits.
Traditional Irish Soda Bread
4 cups of flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of soda
1 1/4 cup of buttermilk or sour milk (to make sour milk, add 1 1/4 tablespoon of vinager to your 1 1/4 cup of regular milk. The higher the cream milk, the better the taste.)
Work the soda in your hand to get rid of any lumps, sift soda, flour and salt into a mound on the counter or into a bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and start adding milk, pulling the flour over the top as you go to until you mix all the milk in and get a loose dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 5 mins until it is smooth. Shape into a round loaf and cut a cross in the top. Place on a baking sheet or stone, and allow to rest for 10-30 mins. Bake at 400 F for 40-45 mins. You can tell it's done when you knock on the bottom and it sounds hollow.
When I make this, I usually split the dough into two loaves... keep one as is, and to the other, I add currants or rasins, and after it's baked, I slather it with a sugar glaze.
Brown Soda Bread
2 1/2 c flour
pinch of salt
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
Mix and bake the same as tradtional soda bread
Sweet Bread (NOT sweetbreads) (this is kind of like a traditional sweet bread like raisin bread)
4 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons butter
2-3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cup milk
Raisins, currants, dates, any dried fruit, OPTIONAL
Sift flour, powder and salt together in a large bowl. Cut and rub butter into flour mix. Add sugar and egg yolk and mix until combined. Knead in milk, and turn out onto floured surface and knead in dried fruit, continue to knead for about 5 mins. Make a round loaf, and place on a baking sheet to rest for 10-30 mins. Bake at 400 for 40-45 mins, knocking on bottom to ensure it's done. You can serve this plain or with a sugar glaze.
ONE more favorite:
Soda Apple Cake
4 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 1/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk
2-3 smallish apples, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon sugar (more if your apples are bitter)
Sift flour, salt, and soda into a bowl. Make a well in the center and mix in milk, pulling the flour from the sides over the top to mix. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Cut in 1/2 and roll each half out to fit a round 9 inch pie tin. Flour the tin lightly, and place one circle of dough in the tin. Arrange apples on dough and sprinkle with sugar, cover with remaining dough. Let set 10-30 mins, and bake at 400 for 40-45 mins. When you remove it from the over, tip it out onto a wire rack immediatly to cool.
You can also add cinnamon or nutmeg or other spices, add raisins or currants on top the apples, or replace them all to gether with a layer of minced raisins and currants.
