Would any other irish mum like to join me in appreciation of VEDA?

[ja9]

I have 4 (yes 4!)hot buttered slices sitting in front of me...

live in scotland but my darling dad brought me some loaves last week. i've just cut into the last one...

I'm not properly Irish, only 50% but I love proper brown soda bread. Also love soda farls & potato cakes. I'm going over to Ireland for the first weekend of Sept & shall be returning with my supplies!

Brown Soda is fairly easy to bake you know and you don't have to have Buttermilk

I've tried drosophila, but mine always ends up like a brick. Any tips? (I don't have a bread maker)

Why can you not buy buttermilk in London - came across it in a recipe the other day but know from the times I considered making brown soda bread that none of my local stores do it - Somerfield, Tesco, Sainsburys (haven't checked Waitrose)

flying in today and looking forward to dripping toasted Veda for breakfast tomorrow, big Ulster fry for lunch (soda and potato farls, natch), Fifteens with a nice wee cup of tea in the afternoon, Tayto and Guinness pre dinner snacks, then champ and lamb chops for my tea. Mmmmm.

Oh and maybe a HB Brunch lolly when no-one's looking.

Oh no, drooling over keyboard again. I need Veda now

'when i collected my dad from the airport the other week , there was a lady who had also just arrived from NI with a carrier bag full of veda, so i know it's not just me!'

No, it isn't. The world is full of nutters, you see .

Hmmm. This thread has got me thinking. There are plenty of peeps here from NI. Maybe I should buy a bunch of this Veda, bring it back, and then sell it to the tragic souls w/no tastebuds.

Wonder what they'd pay for it . . .

I'm not irish BUT as a kid we virtually lived in Ireland (Hols) as we loved it so much. We visited many areas but mainly ventured to the west coast and Achil Island and surroundings due to a love of the place.

Soda bread was the best and far better than what the supermarkets are selling now...took them years to catch on..Also "Club orange" rules..!! God that tates better than tango/fanta anyday. And how come you have a better choice of cadburys chocolate than we do in the uk..lol even turkish delight tastes better than the uk version ..!

My parents still visit 1-2 times a year and are in doneagl now..must get on the them for "treats"....!!!

My MIL can make a tasty soda bread. Her mum was from Cork.

No written recipe, though. She just makes it up.

Jaysus, who'd've thought it, a whole thread feteing the delights of Irish food

My mum used to make brown soda bread most mornings. It is really easy, I make it a lot.

I'll bet mine would turn out like a hockey puck.

I'm cursed as far as making bread goes.

Don't know why, my baking is always good.

DD2 is named for MIL's 'mam' as she always called her.

The secret is that you mix it as little as possible and just kind of pour it onto a tray or into a tin, and then when it is cooked you put a clean damp teatowel over it and this keeps the crust soft yet chewey.

Carmenere, care to share your soda bread recipe, given I can only make bricks when I try.

Heavens, I never pour my mixture, it is like cement even before cooking. Could you share your ingredients Carmenere?

No it shouldn't be liquidy but it should be quite wet. I'm not sure of the recipe as I do it from instinct so to speak but I will find one that fits and link to it, hang on.

Go on then, Carmen! Share w/the class.

Grrr. My MIL is like this. She says, 'You just know'. Hers comes out like a perfect wheel everytime.

Shhh what about Rock Shandy - Club orange and Club lemon.

Ok this is the one that is closest to how I make mine:
Irish Brown Soda Bread
Plain flour - 175g
Bicarbonate of Soda - 2 teaspoons
Cream of Tartar - 1 teaspoon
Salt - a pinch
Wholemeal flour - 375g
Brown sugar - 1 teaspoon
Buttermilk - 400-475ml
Sesame seeds - 1 tablespoon

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F and thoroughly grease a 19 x 11cm loaf tin with a little piece of butter.

Sift the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the wholemeal flour and sugar and mix thoroughly. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in 400ml of the buttermilk. Stir with a wooden spoon to form a loose dough, adding more milk if necessary.

Turn the dough into the tin, leaving the surface rough. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Place the tin on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 150°C/300°F and cook for another 30 minutes until the bread is well risen, brown, crusty on top and there's a hollow sound when you tap the base of the loaf.

Turn out on a wire rack and wrap in a clean tea towel until cold.

If you dont have buttermilk I just use some natural yoghurt mixed into milk.

'We have friends in Scotland and when we visit we have to take loads of veda with us for them.'

Yes, Scots like minging food, too.

Thanks Carmenere. I was just going to ask about the buttermilk but I see you have an alternative - my mother did say cream of tartar and ordinary milk would work too.