Irish Soda Bread

I know St. Patrick's Day was yesterday but I'm sharing my recipe for Irish Soda Bread today because I think it's a bread that should be baked and enjoyed year-round.

Soda bread is simple to make and tastes so good spread with a bit of butter. Serve the bread with soup and a salad and you've got a pretty great meal.

The recipe calls for self-rising flour which you can buy but it's much more economical to make it yourself. Self-rising flour is nothing but regular all-purpose flour combined with a bit of baking powder and salt.
 
Here's the recipe for homemade self-rising flour:

Self-Rising Flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

And, here's the recipe for Irish soda bread:

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups self-rising flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 to 3 cups buttermilk
all-purpose flour for shaping the loaves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the self-rising flour, baking soda and salt. Pour in enough buttermilk to moisten the ingredients and form a soft dough.

Turn half of the dough onto floured surface and pat into a round.

Patting out half of the dough.

Place the round on a parchment lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Use a knife to score the top of the rounds into sixth's.

A round of soda bread scored and ready for the oven.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped with the fingers.