Recipe - White Soda Bread With Herbs

3 cup Unbleached allpurpose flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 One half cup Sour milk; or buttermilk to
mix
2 tablespoon Freshly chopped herbs; (such
as rosemary, sage, thyme,
chives, parsley and lemon
balm)

Soda bread only takes 2 to 3 minutes to make and 20 to 30 minutes to bake.
It is certainly another of my great “convertibles.” We have had the
greatest fun experimenting with different variations and uses. This kind of
bread is also great with olives, sundried tomatoes or caramelized onions
added, so the possibilities are endless for the hitherto humble soda bread.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in
most of the milk at once. Using one hand, mix in the flour from the sides
of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish,
not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a
floured board and knead lightly for a second, just enough to tidy it up.
Pat the dough into a round about 1 inch thick and cut a cross on it to let
the fairies out! Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure
of this. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then turn the
temperature down to 400 degrees F and continue baking for 15 minutes or
until cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the base of the bread; if it is
cooked, it will sound hollow.

For White Soda Bread with Herbs: Add the freshly chopped herbs to the dry
ingredients. Shape into a loaf or scones and bake.

Yield: 1 big loaf

MC formatted & Busted by Barb at Possum Kingdom on 3/17/98

NOTES : Airdate: 3/17/98: St. Patrick's Day Specialties, classic Irish
dishes

Recipe by: Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Seasons

Posted to MCRecipe Digest by "abprice@wf.net" abprice@wf.net on Mar 17,
1998