Ok, truth be told, this is NOT the prettiest loaf of bread I’ve ever baked, but it sure is one of the quickest and tastiest loaves I’ve ever made. Not only can you get it on the table in short order, but it uses an ingredient that often gets poured down the drain; sourdough starter. I’m always on the hunt for creative ways to use up sourdough starter. Worst case scenario, I take my girlfriend Iesha’s advice and dilute the discard in water to feed my plants in the garden. But baking up a loaf of this bread is a great way to use up some of your discard. Sorry plants, you’ll get a treat next time around. What’s lovely about this bread is that the discard gives it a lovely hint of sour dough tanginess that you don’t usually get with a soda bread.
Are you scrambling to get a St. Paddy’s Day meal on the table for your family? Don’t add to your stress, just put this easy to make soda bread on the menu. It’s perfect for mopping up the savory juices in the bottom of your bowl of Corned Beef & Cabbage. The Irish were on to something with their invention of soda bread. And this one is extra special with the addition of sourdough starter.
Start by gathering together the ingredients you need to make this loaf of bread. And flour, don’t forget the flour. You can’t bake bread without flour. LOL!
Preheat oven to 400℉.
Prepare a cast iron skillet by generously greasing it with butter. Set aside.
Use a kitchen scale to weigh out the flour for the best results.
In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.
Stir to combine the dry ingredients together. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together egg, and buttermilk.
Measure out the starter, using a kitchen scale. Now is a good time to feed your starter and pop it back in the fridge.
Add the sourdough starter and melted butter. Whisk to combine.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.
Stir everything together.
Stir into a shaggy dough. Dough will be very sticky.
Generously flour your hands and scoop up the dough, forming it the best you can into the semblance of a ball shape. I’m not gonna lie, this dough is not easy to shape into a pretty loaf. Just accept the fact that it’s going to be quite rustic looking and let go of perfection.
Place the dough into the prepared cast iron skillet.
Use a sharp knife to score the top of the dough with an “X”.
Bake the loaf for 40-45 minutes or until it’s a light golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it with your fingers.
Remove the skillet from the oven and place it on a cooling rack.
Allow the loaf to cool for 30 minutes before slicing into it.
Serve warm with soft butter.
This bread is surprisingly good considering it uses no yeast. It gets its leavening from the baking soda that reacts with the buttermilk. It has a soft tender crumb that’s quite delicious. The crust is similar to a sandwich bread loaf, not the chewier crust you normally get with a French bread loaf or sourdough boule. I love how quick it comes together and that you can get it baked in time for dinner in about an hour and a half. That’s lightening fast when it comes to baking bread from scratch. If you’ve ever baked a loaf of sourdough bread you know that it’s pretty much an all day process.
Be sure to give this soda bread a try, you will be pleasantly surprised at how tasty it is! It’s a nice change of pace from baking a traditional sourdough loaf of bread. Plus you’ll be able to use up some of that sourdough starter that’s sitting in your fridge. Waste not want not, right?
Happy St. Paddy’s Day
May the luck of the Irish shine upon you and your family and bring you blessings all year long. Cheers! Now go drink some green beer and enjoy yourself! If you over do it, remember that you can always have a slice of this bread to soak up some of that alcohol…LOL!
Irish Soda Bread
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 460 grams flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 large egg
- 100 grams sourdough starter discard
- 360 grams buttermilk
- 2 tbsp melted butter, plus extra to grease skillet
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Prepare a cast iron skillet by generously greasing it with butter. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together egg, and buttermilk. Add the sourdough starter and melted butter. Whisk to combine.
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir everything together.
- Stir into a shaggy dough. Dough will be very sticky.
- Generously flour your hands and scoop up the dough, forming it the best you can into the semblance of a ball shape.
- Place the dough into the prepared cast iron skillet.
- Use a sharp knife to score the top of the dough with an "X".
- Bake the loaf for 40-45 minutes or until the it's a light golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it with your fingers.
- Remove pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack.
- Allow the loaf to cool for 30 minutes before slicing into it.
- Serve with soft butter.
Did You Make This?
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