(I apologize
for being late, but my computer has been in repair!)
A few years ago,
my aunt was visiting right around St. Patrick's Day and brought a
homemade Irish Soda Bread. It gave me the idea: Maybe I could replace
the buttermilk with sourdough starter. It's an idea that never came
to fruition because of one simple fact: I don't particularly care for
it.
Don't get me wrong
– Irish Soda Bread is what it is: a crumbly chemically-leavened
bread. But I have a massive sweet tooth, and there was just not
enough of that in any sample I tried (something I just learned
recently is that this is because traditional Irish Soda Bread does
not include raisins and is actually served with soup). But I try my
best to keep up with Sourdough Surprises. So, it was finally time to
make a Sourdough soda bread.
The only sample
recipe I could find was King Arthur Flour's Seeded Soda Bread. I
wanted to try my best to make something sweeter. So I just used it as
a guideline and made my own from there. With a bag of cinnamon chips,
almost empty, begging to be used in my pantry, I thought they'd be
the perfect mix in.
My recipe:
Maple Cinnamon
Chip Sourdough Soda Bread
Adapted majorly
from King Arthur Flour
Makes 1 loaf,
about 8 servings
Ingredients
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking
soda
Scant 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup ripe
sourdough starter
2 tblsp melted
buttermilk
1 1/2 tblsp real
maple syrup
1/4 cup + 1 tblsp
milk
1/3 cup cinnamon
chips
3) In a separate bowl (or in a measuring cup), whisk together the starter, butter, honey, and milk. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. The dough will be stiff; if it's too crumbly to squeeze together, add another tablespoon or two of milk.
4) Knead the dough a couple of times to make sure it's holding together. Shape into ball and flatten slightly on a baking sheet. Cut a 1/2” deep cross in the loaf.
5) Bake for about 25 minutes, until they're golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the loaves from the oven, and brush their tops with melted butter, if desired.
I will say I enjoyed it more than typical Irish Soda Bread. It's still far from my favorite recipe. I will keep it in the Rolodex for the next time.
And now with my computer fixed, and a slower season at work...maybe I can get back to baking!
Check out our other Soda Breads!
