Hubby wants to make soda bread HELP

rosie383

Just been giggling to myself reading QueenB's post about making the bread and it turning out hard and green.
I had a similar experience myself many years ago while living in Scotland. Tried to make wheaten bread and it was so hard it was inedible, so decided to feed it to the pigs in the wee local children's farm in the park the next time we went. My mother-in-law was with us for holiday and wears hijab. One of the pigs took a mouthful and started to choke badly. This went on for quite a while until it managed to cough it up, much to my relief!!!!!
I could just see the headlines in the local paper......."Muslim extremist murders pig in children's farm!!!!!!!" :eek:

rosie383

I have just been home for a wee holiday to Belfast, and stocked up on a few bags of coarse wholemeal flour and buttermilk when I was there. So I all set for a wee while now. Do you think it's a good idea to still use the oats in the bread? Or would it give the right texture without?

dandy-candy

I want to try making soda bread and have found all the recipes online use plain flour or a mix of plain and self-raising. I was wondering if it is possible to make soda bread with strong flour as I have loads of it in, or is that only suitable with yeasted breads?

spike7451

According to Jill Dupleix,it used to be made with Strong Flour:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/recipes/article1027756.ece

And Jamie Oliver's recipy below does use it..

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/bread-recipes/wild-garlic-soda-bread

angeltreats

I've only ever made it with plain flour, or wholemeal or a mixture. But I have tasted it made with strong flour and it's been fine.

rosie383

I make it with strong bread flour or plain, whatever I have in. I can't see any difference at all. Never used SR flour however!

ladylouise62

I've never made it with strong flour, but since the extra stretch that comes from Strong flour (and would not be good in Soda Bread) is activated by kneading, it should be fine as you don't knead SB like bread.

Mrs_B

I have had a few goes at soda bread this year, and belong to an 'Irish Forum' for various reasons so took advice from folks on there, and again from a local baker when on holiday in County Galway. The consensus was that it should be plain white flour, never SR - interestingly, not even wholemeal, although many recipe books here suggest that. I guess that there is good scientific reason why strong flour wouldn't make such a good loaf.

My soda bread is improving but still needs more practice!

rosie383

As ladyLouise says, the extra gluten in the strong flour is released by kneading, and as you don't knead soda bread, it doesn't matter. If you knead it, it is no longer proper soda bread.
As far as using SR flour goes, you are right. You can't use it. You use plain flour with cream of tartar and bicarb, but in a different combo than in baking powder IYKWIM.
And using wholemeal flour is for wheaten soda, which is completely different stuff. Uses only bicarb with no cream of tartar. Gives a denser, drier bread, completely different consistency to a 'white' soda farl.

Penelope_Penguin

I may be missing something, but I thought all soda bread as vegan - all the recipes I have are free of animal products

Breadandwine wrote: »

I don't call these breads Irish soda breads, for the very obvious reason that they don't contain buttermilk, an essential ingredient for those breads, IMO.

(BTW, the buttermilk is alkaline.)

The buttermilk is acidic It can be subbed for yogurt, which is also acidic. In soda bread the buttermilk reacts with the bicarbonate of soda (which gives soda bread its name) which is alkaline.

As this has fallen from the front page of OS, I'll add it to the soda bread thread.