A few months ago, gripped by baking fever, I purchased Mary Berry's Baking Bible. I quickly decided to embark upon a mission to bake everything in the book, and turn myself from an occasional baker into a bit of an expert. My Grandad Ern was a Master Baker by trade; the man responsible for introducing Danish Pastries to England in fact, and I wish it had occurred to me to spend more time learning from him, rather than simply enjoying the fruits of his effortless labours. This project is almost a way of making amends for that; I'd like to follow in his footsteps (if not in my career, at least as a hobby) and continue the proud heritage of baking in my family.
I credit my friend Rachel with the idea to write a blog about my baking exploits, hoping that there will be more successes than failures as I attempt all 213 of the Queen of Baking's recipes.
So as not to bore the husband with a monotonous diet of sponges, followed by weeks of biscuits, I've decided to tackle the recipes by selecting the first bake from each chapter, followed by the second recipe and so on. I'm not going to pick and choose; I'm determined to face my baking demons and learn how to do everything baking-related, even if the consequences are disastrous!
Everything will be photographed, with comment about how I found baking it, and a husband rating (to be taken with a pinch of salt as he has a very selective cake-tooth).


Sunday, 30 April 2017

93. Irish Soda Bread

I fancied a break from cakes (ok, that's a lie; I thought it would be best for our waistlines if we had a break from cakes), so decided to try my hand at some bread. I've made soda bread before, years ago, and this was a super easy recipe for Elizabeth to help with. It contains very few ingredients; I used a mixture of yoghurt and milk instead of buttermilk (not easy to come by), and for the first attempt, made two separate loaves, as my Mum only had small baking trays.
They didn't require as much baking as suggested in the method, but despite the hollow sound when tapped, I wasn't convinced they were fully baked in the middle. I researched the required texture, and my Mum recalled soda bread being a bit scone-like. It was certainly very dense, but didn't seem stodgy or underbaked. It was nicest warm with butter and cheese, but the taste of the bicarbonate of soda made what my Dad described as a bit of a fishy flavour.
I made a second loaf a few days later, as I had plenty of yoghurt left and we'd run out of bread; this time I added some dried oregano to give it a different flavour. I'd need to add more next time as it was a bit too subtle. I think there's lots you could do with flavours; it's such an easy bread to make, and I knocked up my second loaf while waiting for the porridge to cook! It doesn't keep very well - it really needs to be eaten the day you make it, or filled with something quite 'moist'/dipped in soup on the following day. Quite a handy loaf to just knock up, and easy for kids to be involved in the making of.
Baker's verdict: easy to make; nice warm with proper butter. Quite a nice texture to eat.
Husband rating: 7/10 - nice with some butter; nice texture on the outside. Not had soda bread before, but it was very heavy and cakey - not sure what it's supposed to be like. Certainly very nice with a meal, on the side.
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