Mediterranean Soda Bread

One of my favorite things to do is test fun, tasty ways to switch up some of my favorite recipes. This weekend I tested out a twist on my family’s Irish Soda Bread. I’ve been calling it “Mediterranean Soda Bread” and let me tell you… it didn’t disappoint. If you want to give it a try yourself, check out the recipe below.

Mediterranean Soda Bread Recipe:

6 cups unbleached flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup cold butter

3/4 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

3/4 cup chopped red onion

2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato pesto

1/2 cup crumbled feta

2 cups buttermilk (or a bit less)

Makes 2 large loaves or 4-6 small loaves

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and lightly flour your baking pans.

2.     Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

3.     Cut in the cold butter and mix together with your hands until the mixture has a similar consistency as coarse meal.

4.     Mix in the oregano, red onion, sun-dried tomato pesto, and crumbled feta.

5.     Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add 1 ¾ cups of buttermilk, and mix with a fork and/or floured hands. Add additional buttermilk as needed until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened and the dough is just at the point of becoming sticky and holds together.

6.     Place the ball of dough on a flat, floured surface and knead lightly.

7.     Shape the dough into equal loaves to fit your baking pans.

8.     Place in the heated oven for about 40 minutes or until loaves start to brown lightly and the center of the bread tests done. A trick that I do to tell if the bread is done is to place a tea towel over the bread, flip it over and knock on the bottom of the pan. If it sounds hollow, it’s done!

9.     Serve up plain or with your favorite flavored butter, pesto, etc.! Enjoy!