Einkorn Irish Soda Bread

It’s time to get your green on! Everyone’s a little Irish on St. Patty’s day-right? This Einkorn Irish soda bread is definitely a St. Patrick ’s Day staple. Soda bread gets its name from baking soda being used as the leavening agent, instead of yeast. The dough rises due to the reaction between an acidic liquid, like buttermilk, and a base, like baking soda. This reaction forms tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide that cause the dough to rise.

Soda bread has four basic ingredients: flour, buttermilk, baking soda and salt. Other ingredients can be added, such as butter, egg, raisins, caraway seeds or nuts. Soda bread is fairly dense, moist and hearty. Although the Irish didn’t invent soda bread, it is a traditional Irish specialty.

Baking soda found its way into Irish kitchens in the mid-1800s. This was a big change for the bread baking in Ireland because, unlike many other European countries, the country did not produce much of the high-protein flour necessary for making good yeasted breads. As a replacement to yeast, baking soda produced a reliable rise and worked well with the softer Irish flours.

Soda bread is quick and simple to prepare and tastes just fabulous when made with jovial’s all-purpose einkorn flour. For a moister texture, we recommend wrapping the freshly baked loaves in a clean tea towel while they cool. The characteristic cross marking, cut into the dough before baking, allows room for the loaf to expand in the oven and provides four sections, also known as “farls.”

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° degrees.  Butter a 9” round baking pan or cast iron skillet.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, raisins and caraway seeds.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and sour cream
4. Stir in the liquid mixture into the dry mixture until flour is moistened.
5. Using a wooden spoon or pastry spatula, knead the dough in the bowl until it begins to take form; about 10 to 12 turns.  The dough will be sticky.
6. Turn the dough out into the prepared pan and pat down flat.
7. Score the top of the dough in an x shape with a sharp floured paring knife.
8. Dust top of dough with flour.
9. Place pan or skillet in the center rack of your oven and bake for 65 to 70 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and allow bread to cool for a few minutes.  Turn bread out on a wire rack to finish cooling.