Irish Soda Bread

I love quick breads.  I have a long and sordid history with yeast and bread making.  Other than the occasional burning accidents I have never had much trouble with baking these from scratch.  I rarely have two to three hours of time to spend watching yeast bread rise and I have not mastered, nor want to spend the time mastering the art of bread dough kneading.  My hands hurt for days afterwards.  Either I am kneading wrong, have not developed the stamina needed to kneading, or I have arthritis.  My only complaint with this quick bread recipe is that it does take a long time to bake, but the dough is easy enough with few ingredients.    

Irish Soda Bread (Herb and Cheese variety optional)

• 4 cups Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Sage
• 1/2 tsp Thyme
• 1/2 tsp Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese (Cheddar, Gruyere, Parmesan, Asiago, Romano, etc)
• 2 and 1/4 cup Buttermilk
• Combine dry ingredients.  Add buttermilk last.  Briefly knead dough together and form a ball.  Bake on parchment paper or a greased pan.  Cut an "X" in the top middle of the dough.  Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 400 degrees and continue baking for 25 - 30 minutes until the crust is nice and brown.

We made grilled cheese, bacon, and tomato sandwiches with ours.  Or you can just slice off chunks and eat it with some butter and honey.  It also makes for an excellent soup dipping bread.

Enjoy.