Irish Soda Bread

Want bread but still can't find yeast?   Need something versatile for breakfast or sandwiches?   Or in my case,  a vehicle for all this dang jam I'm making.   Four ingredients and you can have this yummy, hearty bread. 

Ingredients 

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Wait. What? You don't have buttermilk hanging out in the fridge?  Here's a trick.   Use regular milk and a splash of vinegar.   Stir it up and let it sit for a few minutes.  Bing,  bang, boom ... buttermilk.  Or, if you bake a lot, you might have powdered buttermilk on hand.  I do.  If you use this,  don't mix it up,  just add the powder to the dry ingredients and then add the milk or water at the end.   No clumps!

You can mix this by hand, but I like my magic potion mixer, so I used it.   

Combine all the dry ingredients and give it a good mix.

Now, add the liquid and mix until it's a giant ball that holds together. 

Roll out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for just a couple of minutes until it becomes a 6" ball.  

Cut an x into the top

 Bake at 450 for 30-40 minutes on a lightly greased and flowered surface.  I love baking this in a cast iron skillet. The bread is done when it is golden brown and sounds hollow. 

Final tip, this bread has to cool before you can cut into it,  so good luck forgetting about it until that happens! 

Happy debauched baking!