Soda Bread

A while ago, my mom was telling me that she saw soda bread in the store and was tempted to buy it but didn't. Then a few days later she saw it on Martha Stewart. She had never tried it before which I find shocking because I've been making it for years. I had planned to make some for them but then we got sick and lost about a month of our lives but now we are better. So Kay and I made some bread Friday night and then we all got up early and took it down to their house for breakfast.

Most recipes I've seen for soda bread call for raisins but my dad hates dried fruit so we used mini chocolate chips instead. You can also use nuts or a combination of all of them. You can also use herbs instead of the cinnamon and put Parmesan on top instead of sugar and serve it with dinner. It is really flexible.

Soda Bread

In a large bowl, mix:

2 cups white whole wheat flour

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

Cut in 1/2 cup margarine.

Stir in 1/3 cup chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts.

In a medium bowl, mix:

1 cup soy milk

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Let set 5 minutes. Then add in one egg or two egg whites.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Knead lightly to bring the batter together. It will be dry.

Form the dough into a round and place it on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cut an X into the top of the loaf and brush it with soy milk. Sprinkle with demerara sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

Kay: I don't like raisins so I was glad we used chocolate chips instead. This was fun to make. I like kneading.

Mom (Dana): This is a very dry bread. The first bite is always a little bland to me but the flavor develops as you eat it.

If you don't have white whole wheat flour, you can use 4 cups of all purpose instead.