Recipe: Irish Soda Farls (2024)

Irish Soda Farls

Makes 1 loaf

This cast-iron skillet recipe, adapted from “Stir, Sizzle, Bake” by Charlotte Druckman (Clarkson Potter; $25), is inspired by the Irish soda farls made at San Francisco’s Andytown Coffee Roasters. Serve the finished bread with fresh butter and jam.

2½ cups all-purpose flour; plus more for dusting

1¼ teaspoons baking soda

1¼ teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 3/8 cups buttermilk (about 11 ounces)

Instructions: Using a small fine-mesh strainer, evenly dust the surface of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of flour — you should still be able to see some of the pan underneath the layer of white. Preheat the pan over low heat, gradually raising it to medium-low. The skillet should get hot, but not so hot that it burns the flour. Adjust the temperature as necessary.

Sift together the flour, the baking soda, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and stir with a whisk to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the buttermilk into the well in a slow, steady stream, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine as you add the liquid. The texture should be wet and sticky. You may not need to use all the buttermilk (start with 1 cup); alternately, if the dough is too dry, add more of the liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring to incorporate.

Transfer the dough to a heavily floured work surface. With floured hands, quickly and gently form the dough into a loose ball and then knead it into a disc about 8 inches in diameter, taking care not to overwork the dough. Cut a cross into the surface of the dough, creating four equal quarters. The dough will expand and rejoin at the cuts, but clear dividing lines should remain.

Make sure the dough is generously floured; otherwise, the bread will stick to the pan. Carefully place the dough in the hot skillet, patting it down so it fills the pan to its edges. It should only be about ½ inch high at this point. Cook the dough for 2 minutes, then raise the heat to medium and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until it grows to reach just over 2 inches high, its top is dry and it releases when you shake the pan. Monitor your skillet to avoid burning; you can occasionally rotate the pan, off center around the flame to prevent charred spots. If the sides stick, use a butter knife to free them before shaking the bread loose.

Use a spatula to flip the dough. If there’s evidence of burning flour on the skillet, dust it with a bit more flour to cover the charring patches before returning the dough, flipped, to the pan. Cook on the second side for about 12 minutes, occasionally rotating the pan and the bread itself, until tapping the dough produces a hollow sound. If you see or smell any evidence of burning, reduce the heat immediately, as necessary (though a small bit of char adds flavor). When it’s done, the bread will have an airy, fluffy interior. No wet dough should be visible. Cooking time will vary based on weather and pan heat; if you are unsure if your bread is ready, tear it across the pre-cut lines to check it.

Remove the finished bread from the pan, swaddle it in a kitchen towel to trap moisture and soften the crust, and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.