Help! Save the soda bread?!

RedLass

Hello ladies and gents

So, I've had a bit of drama in the kitchen just now... Recently I started trying out a bit of baking, not something I've done much of, only a few muffins and some banana bread etc but today I am home alone and thought I'd take the plunge and try to make some brown soda bread to go with sausage casserole tonight. I've never attempted to make bread before so it seemed like a good one to start with.

Reading the recipe I realised I didn't have any buttermilk to hand but I remembered seeing on the forums somewhere that you could make a substitute with lemon and milk... :dance: Trouble is, I made a couple of cups and it seemed to be going well, except that my recipe called for between 350-400ml and I'd poured in the whole lot I'd made (nearer 500ml) :doh:

It felt really, really sticky and wet but not realising the error of my ways I poured it out onto the worktop anyway and have spent the last half hour attempting to salvage the kitchen!

I feel a total numpty! Needless to say, I now have a bowl of something that reminds me of very thick porridge (minus the bits I had to scrape off the worktops and floor). Is there anything I can do with it? I'd rather not waste it if there is something it can be used for, even if it's not soda bread. Of course if it's a total wreck I guess I'll have to chuck it out

Seakay

No need fo panic, soda bread is a very forgiving recipe!


Basically consider that you are making nearly double the amount that you expected to. Add two thirds of the original recipe amount of flour to soak up the extra liquid and the same amount again of baking powder that the original recipe reqired. If you don't have enough flour then use white or any other sort of flour that you have and just add it a bit at a time as absorbancy will be different. If you still don't have enough flour then use porriage oats, either whole or after being given a quick wizz in a food processor or liquidiser.
When it comes to baking make more loaves, not the same number as in the recipe but larger, and freeze the ones that you aren't using today or tomorrow as soda bread stales faster than yeast bread.

RedLass

Ohhh thank you so much, I'm so glad it's not wasted. I will try adding the other ingredients as you suggested Seakay because I would still ideally like to be able to have it with tea tonight. I think I had better keep these notes for next time

Splitting the mix in two to make two loaves sounds like a great idea, it is only me and my OH eating. Does home made bread need much protecting in the freezer, or can I just throw it in a zip-lock bag like everything else?

Wilding - could I add carrots and such in the normal recipe? Does it just give it a bit of extra flavour/texture? Could be a handy way to use up those odds and ends..

Many thanks again for such a quick reply!

Seakay

Zip lock bag should be fine - bread doesn't need a lot of protecting, you're just ensuring that it doesn't 'dehydrate' or get freezer burn.
Let us know how it all turns out - I'm sure that it will be really tasty!

RedLass

Well, good news is, adding the extra did seem to save it, and I now have an extra one in the freezer for a rainy day :j

Slightly disappointingly, it was a bit.. "thick". Looked perfect from the outside, had that nice hollow sound when I tapped the bottom, but the inside was really heavy, not at all fluffy or light or soft (although the flavour was good).

Maybe I overworked it? Or would real buttermilk have helped?

I'd like to try again sometime, but other than following the recipe properly this time, is there anything else I can do to help stop it being over dense?

RedLass

Ohh... so I've just googled Soda Bread and it sounds like it is meant to be dense. So maybe it turned out well afterall! Next time I will slice it rather than tear chunks off of it.

Oops. Who's a muppet now? :rotfl:

Thanks for your help folks.

Seakay

When my Mum made it or Scofa Loaf (which has the oat flakes etc in it) I remember it being quite dense - one of the reasons that it doesn't keep fresh very long. We used to love to have it in chunks when warm - the centre was almost doughy at that point which I loved as a child.
If you leave off making the cross on top when it goes into the oven then it will be easier to slice when cold - probably still easiest to do quite thick slices though.
The other option for buttermilk is to use diluted live plain yoghurt - it can be diluted with water or milk. This gives a bit more rising agent as well as sourness. (aprox 1 yoghurt to 4 water or milk, but no need to worry about accuracy, you just want the yoghurt thin enough to use)