Mrs. O'Callaghan's Soda Bread

Happy St. Patty's Day from the Green Goddess!

At Ballinalacken Castle Country House & Restaurant, the bread is baked in a rectangular pan.

makes 1 loaf

by Mary O'Callaghan

Photography by Andrew Hetherington

March 2010

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled margarine or butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups buttermilk

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray heavy baking sheet with nonstick spray. Whisk both flours, sugar, and baking soda in medium bowl to blend. Add margarine and cut in until margarine is reduced to pea-size pieces. Add buttermilk; stir until shaggy dough forms. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until dough comes together, about 10 turns. Shape dough into 9-inch round (the round should be about 1 inch high). Place dough on prepared baking sheet. Cut large X, 1/2 inch deep, in top of dough, almost all the way to the edges of the round.
• Bake bread in center of oven until deep brown and bottom sounds hollow when firmly tapped (a bamboo skewer inserted into the center of the bread should emerge clean without any stickiness or moistness), about 55-60 minutes. Transfer bread to rack and cool completely.

TEST KITCHEN NOTE: Based on feedback from readers, we retested this three times and made adjustments to the original recipe that was printed in the magazine. Above is the version of the recipe that works best. We increased the baking soda to 2 teaspoons (instead of 1 teaspoon); shaped the dough to a 9-inch round (instead of a 7-inch round); increased baking time to 55 to 60 minutes (instead of 40 minutes); and clarified certain instructions on doneness. In one testing, we tried adding 1 teaspoon of salt and found that it detracted from the sweetness of the bread. Thank you to our readers for your feedback.

Hungry for More? If you have a question about this recipe, contact our Test Kitchen at askba@bonappetit.com. To see more recipes like this one, check out our Irish Food for St. Patrick's Day Slideshow.

• Nutritional Information

  One slice contains the following:
  Calories (kcal) 286.3
  %Calories from Fat 14.4
  Fat (g) 4.6
  Saturated Fat (g) 0.8
  Cholesterol (mg) 1.6
  Carbohydrates (g) 54.8
  Dietary Fiber (g) 4.2
  Total Sugars (g) 12.0
  Net Carbs (g) 50.6
  Protein (g) 8.5

( ) I've made this food and
_____( ) Loved it
_____( ) Thought it was OK
_____( ) Would try it again with changes
_____( ) Wouldn't make it again
( X ) Haven't made this yet