Makes 1 Loaf

There was a time when Irish Soda Bread was baked for each meal in almost every home in Ireland.  Properly made it is a moist, crumbly delight, and it is best when eaten hot fresh from the oven.  Today, more likely than not it will be a rather tough, cottony thing brought home from the market.  This particular recipe comes from friends who live near Blarney in County Cork.  Why is there a cross always cut in the top of each loaf?  Why, everyone knows that the Devil likes to hide in the flour sack.  You cut a cross in the top to let the Devil out so he won’t ruin the loaf when he makes his escape.

2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 ½ sticks butter or margarine

2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 500°.  Sift all dry ingredients together well.  Cut the butter into small pieces and using a wire pastry blender, cut it into the dry ingredients until it is crumbly and the texture of coarse corn meal or oatmeal.  Add the buttermilk all at once and with a table fork, stir round and round, just until all the dry ingredients have been moistened.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and very gently and sparingly, knead until it comes together.  Actually, you are just sort of shoving the bits and pieces together.  It doesn’t matter if there are a few cracks in the surface.  Over kneading will make a dough loaf.  Form into a round about 6 or 7 inches in diameter.  Place on a baking sheet that is lined with bakers’ parchment.  Cut a shallow cross in the top and place in the preheated oven.  Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350° and bake for another 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven, wrap in a clean cloth and serve hot.  Do not slice.  Slicing hot bread will compress the crumb and ruin the texture.  Just break off pieces and slather with as much fresh butter as your arteries can stand.

You may substitute 1 tablespoon of baking powder for the baking soda, in which case you do not need to use buttermilk.  You may use plain milk or even water.  You may also increase the sugar to half a cup and add half a cup of currants if you wish.