Irish Soda Bread, Talitha Style!

Lately I've become super interested in bread making... And I suck at it. Totally completely suck at it! Let's put it this way: If someone calls a bread recipe "easy", "fail-proof", "fool-proof", or other such words to indicate that any idiot caveman could make this bread with his eyes closed... I'm GOING to mess it up! No, really... It's that bad! I can make cookies, brownies, muffins, and cupcakes with little-to-no-trouble. But bread? Not in my dreams!

This week I found an episode of Good Eats where Alton Brown makes a "very basic" bread recipe. It seemed sooo easy the way he did it on his show! When I looked up the recipe in my Good Eats book, it looked a little more complicated, and it turned out to be just a tad TON more daunting! In his recipe, you start out with a "sponge" which stays in the fridge overnight. When I got mine out in the morning, it had separated into creamy floury goo at the bottom, and yeasty water at the top. *Blhuh* But, I didn't know any better, so I used it and continued the recipe the way it was written. Eventually I had to throw it out because it never rose, then my house smelled like rotten yeast.

(Ah man, for adoring AB so much I sure don't end up liking his recipes very much, do I? ... But then again, it's probably me!)

Then, sweet Ina Garten popped onto my computer screen after another YouTube video and I wondered what she had to offer, so I watched. It was on Irish Soda Bread (to watch her video click here), and it was so easy-breezy-simple, I knew I could do it! And I did. And again. And again! And again!! At least four times in the past week!!! I've made it 3 different ways, and it has turned out wonderfully each time!!! But here, I want to share with you my recipe for herbed soda bread. You'll love it, I promise! It's easy enough that I could do it, and that's saying something!!! So, even if you are a bit of a Neanderthal, I just don't know how you could mess this one up!

Herbed Irish Soda Bread

WHAT YOU NEED

4 cups all purpose flour
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. grated orange zest (or dried orange peel, if that's what you have)

Herbs*

1 egg

1 3/4 cups buttermilk**

HOW TO

Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

Add herbs, orange zest.

Add both egg and buttermilk.

Mix on low, just for a minute. You will have a wet dough, and that's ok!

Dust your countertop with flour and dump the dough out on that.

Dust the top of your dough, too, and knead it very lightly, and only for a moment.

This dough will feel like it's falling apart in your hands, and THAT'S PERFECT!!!!

Bake at 375, preferably on a baking stone, for about 25 minutes. Just check with a "thump!"

If you bake the dough in two separate loaves, they bake up a bit better, and LOOK much nicer =)

Pairs really well with a good summer salad!

Enjoy! =)

COST

Less than $2 -- Serves about 6.

*Herbs included: chives (from my newly planted little window garden!), along with Herbes de Provence, a tiny pinch of ground anise, a bit of sage, some basil, and a ton of parsley. (As always, I believe Penzey's Spices are the BEST!!!!)

**I don't know if I have ever bought buttermilk once in my life! I don't even keep cow's milk on-hand in my home typically, so I looked for alternatives. The first time I made Ina Garten's version, I actually used 2 4-oz. cartons of Stonyfield Organic Toddler Strawberry Yogurt plus 3/4 cup almond milk with 1 tsp. lemon. If you are substituting buttermilk with milk (of any kind) and lemon juice, just let it set for 10 minutes and stir it a couple of times! With this herbed version, I actually used 1 3/4 cups half & half with the lemon juice trick =)