Brown Butter Soda Bread

First let me say that while I tackle a lot of things as far as cooking and baking- I don't do bread. Anything that calls for yeast scares me to death. I definitely plan to address this fear later in my cooking life but I'm just not there yet. That said- I'm thrilled to share an EASY soda bread recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit that even I mastered on the first try.

Seeing as it is St. Patty's Day Eve, I wanted to make something festive to accompany my mom's corned beef and cabbage dinner. Epicurious.com had a slew of recipes for Irish Soda Bread to chose from- frankly soda bread can be heavy, dry and boring but I decided to give it a go based on the stellar reader reviews.

Ingredients: (Makes two loaves, serves 10-12 people)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter

3 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups white and 2 cups wheat flour)

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (I substituted dried)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper

1 3/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg white with a splash of water (beaten with a fork)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Swirl it around for 3-4 minutes until barely golden brown- remove from the heat and set aside.

Mix the flour through black pepper together in a large bowl.

Add the buttermilk and melted butter and stir together with a fork until evenly incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a well floured board or countertop. Knead briefly (I did exactly 7- as suggested- turning the dough, folding in half and pressing forward with the palms of my hands each time.) Form the dough into a ball - cut it in half with a large knife or pastry cutter - and then form the halves into two balls.
 
Place the dough 5 inches apart on a an ungreased baking sheet. Then brush the beaten egg white over the tops and sprinkle them with kosher salt and some extra black pepper.
Lastly, score an "x" into the tops wit a sharp knife for a rustic but official-bakery-looking presentation.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown.


Move to a rack and cool for 30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with lots of butter (honey is good too) - if made ahead, reheat gently before serving.

My very first bread baking experience! This is really really yummy and honestly it took me less time than a batch of cookies. The outside is crunchy and the inside is suprisingly fluffy and moist. I can't wait to try some different variations of this recipe. You could add raisins and nuts, dried berries, various herbs or even cheeses to this. Mini loaves would be festive too.