Soda bread

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Soda bread is a type of quick bread in which yeast has been substituted with baking soda. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. Other ingredients can be added such as raisins or various forms of nuts.

The buttermilk in the dough contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to form tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide. Soda bread can dry out quickly and is typically good for two to three days; it is best served warm or toasted.

Various forms of soda bread are popular throughout Ireland. The bread is either brown or white (with the former known colloquially as "brown bread"). The two major types are the loaf and the farl. The loaf form takes a more rounded shape and has a cross cut in the top to allow the bread to expand. The farl, a more flattened type of bread, is absolutely unique to Northern Ireland. It is cooked on a griddle allowing it to take a more flat shape.

[edit] Griddle Cake

Another form of soda bread popular in Ireland is the griddle cake. The mixture, using white flour, is exactly the same as for soda bread. The dough is flattened to about 4 cm and placed to cover the bottom of a frying pan or skillet, after some minutes on the heat the cake is then turned to ensure an even baking.

[edit] History

Soda bread dates to approximately 1840, when bicarbonate of soda was introduced to Ireland. Bicarbonate of soda replaced yeast as the leavening agent. The climate of Ireland hindered the growth of hard wheat, which created a flour that rose easily with the assistance of yeast.

There are several theories as to the significance of the cross in soda bread. Some believe that the cross was placed in the bread to ward off evil. It is more likely that the cross is used to help with the cooking of the bread or to serve as a guideline for even slices.

Soda bread eventually became a staple of the Irish diet. It was, and still is, used as an accompaniment to a meal.

The Soda Farl is an important part of the Ulster Fry of Northern Ireland.