soda “pop”
Lightly crumbly, with the pleasant tang of thick buttermilk and generously dappled with golden raisins or simply darkened with whole wheat flour, soda bread is an easygoing delight—more so when the freshly baked, crusty-edged slices are spread with salted butter.
Double the recipe and the extra becomes a thoughtful neighborly gift or treat to take along if you are a weekend guest. Nearly childlike in its simplicity to create, any form of the dough can be assembled and ready for its oven sojourn in the time it takes to preheat the oven.
The raisin soda bread is moist, spiced with freshly grated nutmeg (plus allspice and cinnamon), leavened with baking powder and baking soda, lightly sweetened, and enriched with several tablespoons of butter and a single egg yolk. The latter two ingredients distinguish the bread, contributing to its overall flavor and textural quality. The whole wheat rendering is not very sweet, but, with its dense yet velvety crumb, it is good paired with any one of the sharp artisanal Cheddars available, or with a smear of ginger or rose petal preserves (if serving with cheese, be sure to include the pecans or walnuts).
The procedure for making the dough resembles biscuit or scone making, as a certain amount of fat (in the form of cold unsalted butter) is reduced to small flakes, flecks, and slightly larger nubbins within the dry ingredients. Following that, a whisked mixture of buttermilk, an egg yolk or whole egg, and vanilla extract in the bread pointed up with raisins, is poured on; any additions (such as fruits or nuts) are scattered over all; and a dough is formed. The dough for either bread is made in its entirety in the mixing bowl, then smoothed into a plump ball on a lightly floured or wheat bran–sprinkled work surface. Once settled on the baking sheet and slashed, it is only a matter of waiting forty to fifty minutes before the aromatic bread can be pulled from the oven. The raisin soda bread is sugared lightly before baking, the wheaty one is left to bake with its clinging overcoat of bran. On baking, both breads spread and pop open at the cross-carved split in an expansive rise. Then the rustic loaves are indeed hard to resist, but do give both at least thirty minutes of resting time before savoring their warm, handmade goodness.
raisin soda bread, sweetly
serving: one quick bread, creating about 10 slices
ahead: 2 days
golden raisin and walnut buttermilk dough
2 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
3⁄4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg yolk
11⁄4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup golden raisins
1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
about 2 tablespoons sparkling sugar (plain or a color), for sprinkling on the unbaked round of dough
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Line a heavy cookie sheet or rimmed sheet pan with a length of ovenproof parchment paper.
For the dough, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and granulated sugar in a medium-size mixing bowl. Drop in the chunks of butter and, using a pastry blender or two round-bladed table knives, cut the fat into the flour mixture until reduced to pea-size bits.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.
Pour the buttermilk mixture over the flour mixture, sprinkle over the raisins and walnuts or pecans (if you are using either), and stir to form a dough. The dough will be moderately moist. Note that the dough should be mixed only to shape and form, as actual kneading results in a dense-textured crumb.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and form into a well-domed ball measuring about 5 inches in diameter. Place the dough ball in the center of the baking pan. With a small sharp knife, cut a cross on top of the bread (about 1/4 inch deep) to about 3 inches short of the bottom of the loaf on all four sides. Sprinkle the sparkling sugar over the surface of the dough ball.
Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until set and a golden color on top. The baked bread will sound hollow when gently tapped on the bottom with the long handle of a wooden spoon. Let the bread stand on the baking pan for 1 minute, then remove it to a cooling rack, using two wide offset metal spatulas. Serve warm or at room temperature.
notes
• using cold butter controls the texture as you are combining the ingredients and shaping the loaf
• any golden raisins stuck on the surface of the bread will darken somewhat on baking (this is to be expected)
• using a heavy baking pan assures that the bread bakes evenly without scorching
• use a finely serrated knife to cut the bread
raisin soda bread, sweetly
lush whole wheat soda bread
serving: one quick bread, creating about 13 slices
ahead: 2 days
earthy whole wheat dough
2 cups unsifted whole wheat flour
11⁄2 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
11⁄4 teaspoons baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
11⁄3 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons wheat bran, for coating the unbaked round of dough
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Line a heavy cookie sheet or rimmed sheet pan with a length of ovenproof parchment paper.
For the dough, sift the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Drop in the chunks of butter and, using a pastry blender or two round-bladed table knives, cut the fat into the flour mixture until reduced to flakes and pea-size bits.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract.
Pour the buttermilk mixture over the flour mixture and stir to form a dough. The dough will be moist and come together in large patches. Collect, gather, and form the dough into a mass that adheres to itself with your hands. Note that the dough should be mixed only to shape and form, as actual kneading results in a dense-textured crumb.
Transfer the dough to a work surface sprinkled with the wheat bran. Gently smooth and roll the dough into a well-domed sphere measuring 5 to 51⁄2 inches in diameter, allowing it to take up a light coating of the bran; the bran will adhere to the dough randomly. Place the dough ball in the center of the baking pan. With a small sharp knife, cut a 4 by 4-inch cross on top of the bread, no more than 1/4 inch deep. A deeper, longer cross will allow the loaf to bake out of shape—if this happens, reduce the baking time by about 4 minutes, as the dough will widen a little more during early baking—the bread, however, will still be delicious.
Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until set. The baked bread will sound hollow when gently tapped on the bottom with the long handle of a wooden spoon. Since the unbaked dough is somewhat dark to begin with, you will see ruddier patches on all four quadrants created by the cross-slashing. Let the bread stand on the baking pan for 2 minutes, then remove it to a cooling rack, using two wide offset metal spatulas. Serve barely warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container.
notes
• the whole wheat flour I use in this bread is King Arthur 100% Organic Whole Wheat Flour
• 3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts can be added with the dry ingredients