Recipes from around the World #2

IRISH SODA BREAD
Irish soda bread contains no baking powder. It will rise because of the acid/alkaline combination of buttermilk and baking soda. After baking, you are to wrap the bread in a slightly damp towel and let it rest for at least 8 hours. Of course, who can wait that long! You need to at least let it cool so it will slice well.
4 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease baking sheet or a round cake pan. In a large mixing bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk and stir the a fork until the dough holds together. Knead on a floured surface for 30 seconds. Then place into the cake pan, patting it out to about 1 ½ inches thick. Using a sharp knife dipped in flour, slash a large X across the top. This should be about ¼ inch deep. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until nicely brown and the X spreads open. Place on a rack to cool. Afterwards wrap in a slightly damp towel and allow the bread 8 hours to rest.
This is great with the Irish Coddle from the earlier recipe. Just slice off a slab of bread and spread on lots of butter. Remember, this bread is moist, tender, and rather heavy.