Baking with Julia

From the Morning Breads section of Baking With Julia, Child that is, this is a little bit of heaven on Earth. Also known as Irish soda bread. Four ingredients slapped together and thrown in a 375 degree oven for fifty minutes yields this, and I know I'm repeating myself, little bit of heaven on Earth. Crumbly and tender on the inside, crispy and golden on the outside. I enjoy it slathered with butter and raspberry jam. There's nothing like bread in the oven to make a house smell like a home. Or a more effective way to wake up a grumpy teenager.

Julia Child's Irish Soda Bread

4 cups unbleached flour
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt

You can knead this dough lightly after stirring together, or do what I do, just dump it all in the KitchenAid mixer using the dough hook. If you use a mixer, process until the dough just holds together, if you overmix the bread will turn out tough and chewy. Slash an X into the top of the loaf before it goes in the oven, neglecting to do this step will cause the bread to crack open while it's baking. 375 degrees, 50 minutes. Yum.