Easy Irish Soda Bread

So I just have to post about this bread. I discovered the recipe on St Patrick's Day (naturally), as I decided last minute I wanted to try my hand at some soda bread to go along with our Irish Stew. I did a little research and landed on a website called "The Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread". For reals. It sounds so official, doesn't it? Anyway, I actually found this website uber informative. Turns out they feel that if you have raisins and/or caraway seeds in your soda bread, or any sugar at all, you are actually making 'tea bread'. Whether or not that is true is no matter to me. What sucked me in was the simplicity of the recipe, and the short ingredient list, both of which were necessary at 3 p.m. on actual St Patrick's Day. This bread was a huge hit at my house. Actually, YUGE. I made it again the other night to along with some chicken soup. You can have it in the oven in 3 minutes flat, it looks completely gorgeous when you pull it out, and it is so incredibly delicious slathered in copious amounts of butter alongside any soup, stew, or similar comfort food. It's dense and biscuit-like (meaning honey is also good on it...ask me how I know), and all of the wonderful things that will make you happy on a cold, rainy night. You have everything you need to make it on hand already, I guarantee it.

Irish Soda Bread
-from www.sodabreadinfo.com

-4 cups all purpose flour
-1 t. salt
-1 t. baking soda
-1 3/4 c. buttermilk (don't buy it--just make some. Put 2 T white vinegar or lemon juice in a 2 cup measure, then fill to 2 c. with milk. Stir, let sit 5 minutes, then substitute in equal amounts for store bought buttermilk)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sift the flour, soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in buttermilk until you get a sticky dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead lightly a few times. The dough will be slightly tacky. Shape it into a round, slightly flattened disc. Cut a large X into the top with a sharp knife.  Grease and flour (or spray well) a round cake pan. Place the disc in the pan. Cover with a second pan (you are using the second cake pan as a lid, just go with it). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the "lid" and bake for 15 minutes more. Cool slightly, remove from pan, and then wrap in a clean dish towel. Sprinkle with lightly with water to keep bread moist until dinner. Feel like an Irish mother because you have done this thing. Break bread and enjoy!