Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Traditional Irish soda bread is a very simple and quick bread recipe. There are only a few ingredients. Any recipe that includes orange zest, raisins, or any other fruit is not soda bread. Keep in mind that even as late as the middle twentieth century oranges and other fruits were Christmas gifts. I seriously doubt the poor Irish peasants couldn't get oranges to eat let alone use the zest. If you find a recipe that has sugar, eggs and/or baking powder, it is a cake. If it has yeast, it is not Irish Soda Bread either. Salt was difficult enough to come by. And under no circumstances would an Irishman use his whisky in his bread. (Talk about a stereotype!) So, if you are looking for a REAL "traditional" Irish SODA bread, look for the use of SODA only. Ignore anything else. I got this recipe from my grandma. She cannot remember where she got it. She only knows she and her mom made this together when she was a child. She says spoiled milk, even up to the point of curdling, is better than anything else. If you wanted to get as close as possible to the Mother Isle, use a "soft wheat" or Pastry flour. Otherwise, like my cheap arse, an all purpose works just fine. The recipe is so simple I am sure there are hundreds of others like it. So, I am not taking credit for anyone else's idea. It's just a really easy, simple bread recipe. Use it, you'll love it. This recipe is as easy as anything you will find after making ice cubes. Mix all ingredients in a bowl mix, knead only ten to fifteen times, and bake. Don't forget the three to four beers it takes while you wait for the bread to bake.