Traditional Irish soda bread can be a bit tough and dry. At least the versions I've had at popular mainstream Irish restaurants. Nobody seems to like it, not anyone I know anyway. Being part Irish, I wanted to like it! I came across a page of soda bread recipes in the late great Gourmet magazine many years ago and decided to see whether what I could make myself might be more appealing.
The recipe called for 2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of wheat flour. Not being a big fan of wheat flour, I substitute a mixture of grains, depending on what I have on hand--including Irish oatmeal, cornmeal, wheat germ, white-wheat flour, Ralston's, and flax seed meal--to make up 1 cup. The recipe calls for 1 cup of raisins. I often use a mixture of raisins and currants, again depending on what I have on hand. After mixing the dough, the recipe says to knead briefly on a well-floured surface. I think about 1/4 to 1/2 cup more flour is incorporated during this process. The recipe calls for either buttermilk or plain yogurt. I have always used buttermilk. The milk is included in the dough, and more is used to brush the top of the bread for baking to give it that beautiful golden brown crust. I bake it in a buttered Corningware casserole dish (uncovered) to maintain the shape. It does take about an hour to bake, so it doesn't quite qualify as a quick bread, but certainly much faster than a yeast bread.
This bread is soft, moist, a little sweet, and always a big hit!
