The History of Irish Soda Bread, –Farls & Fadge
Soda Bread and the Potato Famine of 1845
Soda bread became very popular during the famine, as the main staple of potatoes was in very short supply and hence an alternative staple was needed. Soda bread could be made from any poor quality flour, from any grain, including the cornmeal additive that was sent from the Native Americans to the starving Irish at this time. SODA BREAD- (GRIDDLE OR OVEN BAKED)
Tradition Irish bread is made using baking soda other than yeast. This is a chemical leavening cooking method, and normally uses an acid , most commonly sour buttermilk to react with the base baking soda to release bubbles of carbon dioxide. Baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3) is crystalline salt, found in a natural mineral form or made from hardwood ash. First isolated by Nicolas Leblanc in the 1790s, it wasn’t made in mass production until 1846 and by the 1860’s it was sold in every village.
In ancient times, many native people around the world used Potash (a natural soda in wood ashes) to make flat bread, including many native American tribes. As well as bringing back the potato to Ireland, this method of bread making of soft flours including potato flour mixes also rapidly flourished in Ireland. Nowadays this soft textured cake like bread is most often identified with the Irish. This is because soda bread is mainly made from soft wheat.
The Irish soft wheat was the only wheat that could grow in Ireland’s climate, and when mixed like a traditional dough it doesn’t form any gluten like a traditional yeast bread, so baking soda is needed to make it rise.
There are two main types of soda bread, flat griddle farl and oven soda. Different traditional Varieties of additives produced treacle, raisins, or cornmeal flavors.
While in Southern Ireland Oven Soda Bread was popular, a similar bread called FARL, was made in Northern Ireland. The dough is cut in 4 quarters and each quarter and cooked on a griddle. The word ‘farl’ derives from the Gaelic fardel which literally means ‘four part’ and this refers to the way that these griddle breads are typically cut into and served in quarters.
Unlike England where bread was made in Bakeries, the Irish felt it was a housewife’s job. Her all purpose cast iron Dutch oven like pot they called a “Bastible” was better suited for soda bread, which hung over a fire on a crane, as opposed to the Brick ovens that were used to bake the yeast breads in Europe. You could set a Bastible on top of the embers of the fire and a few coals on top of the indented lid.
The cross on the oven soda bread (actually helps bubbles to rise to the middle and not be lop sided) has several traditional explanations, Legend has it that folks did it to “let the devil out” while it’s baking for good luck, and others say that it made it easy to divide into 4 pieces. It was also a symbol for a cross during Christian holidays.
Ingredients – 200g bread flour (can be gluten free and can be flour from various sources) 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda Buttermilk salt
Method – 1. Warm griddle or pan until it turns flour brown in a few seconds 2. Add half the flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt and pour milk 3. Roll out unto floured surface and flatten, sprinkle with flour 4. Cut into four farls and cook carefully on floured griddle or pan 5. Turn and cook other side. 6. Cool on cooling rack & serve with Irish Stew or as part of an Ulster Grill. For Oven baked – Add a few sultanas or currants to the mix. Bake in loaf tin in oven or crock at medium heat for 25 minutes instead of using griddle
FADGE (Potato Farls) Ingredients – 4 Medium potatoes – already boiled 50g bread flour (can be soft flour) salt
Method – 1. Warm griddle or pan until it turns flour brown in a few seconds 2. Mash potatoes in bowl, this is easier if they are luke warm. 3. Add half the flour & salt and knead until it stick together in a ball 4. Roll out unto floured surface and flatten, sprinkle with flour 5. Cut into four farls and cook carefully on floured griddle or pan 6. Turn and cook other side. 7. Cool on cooling rack & serve as part of an Ulster Grill.
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