Makes one 8-inch/20 cm round
BESTED IN POPULATION ONLY BY THE GERMANS, THE IRISH WERE—AND CONTINUE to be—one of the most important immigrant groups that helped shape the Midwest. Irish soda bread is the perfect example of a poor country doing a lot with very little, and in a very efficient way. Soda bread is actually a quick bread, no yeast and very little handling required. In relation to the long history of Ireland, soda bread is actually a fairly recent development, since baking soda wasn’t introduced there until the 1840s. The cross sliced into the top of a round loaf of soda bread is said to have been introduced to ward off the devil and protect the household.
I have a big love of Irish soda bread, partly because we had it every St. Patrick’s Day, when Gramma would cook a batch of corned beef and really play up the whole Irish branch of our family tree, if only for a day. The soda bread we had was store-bought and an example of what’s found most often in midwestern bakeries—the sweeter, white-flour variety, with a soft, custard-colored interior and currants or raisins added. And without the dried fruit, this is thought to be the most traditional kind of soda bread, since Irish flour is made of soft wheat and yields light, cakey baked goods. But soda bread can take on many forms and flavors, and even bend to the savory side, built on the simple formula of some type of flour, baking soda, salt, and an acidic dairy ingredient, such as buttermilk or yogurt.
2 cups/256 g all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for dusting
2 cups/240 g 100 percent whole-wheat flour, spooned and leveled
1½ teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons/57 g cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch/1.25 cm pieces
2 cups/450 g cold, well-shaken buttermilk, plus more for brushing
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling (optional)
Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 425°F/220°C. Line a 12 × 17-inch/30 × 43 cm baking sheet with parchment paper and dust it with flour.
In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flour, baking soda, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal.
In a large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk and honey. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk mixture. First use a large flexible spatula, and then your hands, to mix the dough into a sticky mass—don’t overmix.
Turn out the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and shape it into a 6-inch/15 cm ball. Use a large, floured sharp knife to slice a deep X across the top of the bread, about halfway through the ball. Lightly brush the loaf with buttermilk. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if you wish.
Bake at 425°F/220°C for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F/180°C and bake for 30 to 35 minutes more, or until the bread is deeply golden and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove the bread from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.