With St Patrick’s Day coming up I thought it would be nice to do a fruit soda. This is quite popular in the States where they also like to enrich it even further with the use of eggs and butter
For me the texture of the bread is perfect the way I did it and like I say in the video the less you put in the closer it will be to an authentic Irish Soda Bread structure and taste wise. But play around with it to suit your own tastebuds!
Chris’s Fruit Soda Bread
Recipe
450g of Plain Flour
3/4 tsp of Bicarbonate of Soda
3/4 tsp of Salt
150g of dried fruit
400ml of Buttermilk approx
Flours hydrate differently so add more or use less buttermilk if needed
You need an acid to activate the soda so if you can’t get buttermilk add about 2 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar to 400ml of regular milk. Stir and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Natural or Greek Yoghurt is another option. Just thin it out with a drop of water or milk first.
Baked at 200C/392F Conventional oven for 45 minutes
Fan 180C/356F
US Cup measurements (approx)
3 3/4 Cups of Plain Flour
3/4 tsp of Bicarbonate of Soda
3/4 tsp of Salt
3/4 cup of dried fruit
1 3/4 cups of Buttermilk
I wrapped this in a tea towel after to soften up the crust a little. Some say the cloth should be damp but I find that the steam from the bread is enough to get the job done
Have a great St Patrick’s Day 2024 Everyone!
All the best
Chris – Your Irish Baker Abroad 👨🏻🍳🇮🇪
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