Traditional irish soda bread

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 14 ounces buttermilk
• (If you want to try a recipe with fruit you can add a 1/2 cup of raisins, craisins, or currants.  If you do not want to add fruit, you can still jazz the recipe up a bit by adding a teaspoon of sugar).

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Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with a little bit of flour so the dough will not stick when placed on the sheet.
• In a bowl, sift together all of the dry ingredients. Working somewhat quickly, add the buttermilk and combine to form a sticky, rough, dough.
• Dump the dough out of the bowl and onto a floured surface. Knead the dough, but only for 30 seconds or less. You do not want to over-knead! The dough should still be fairly rough and lumpy.
• Place the dough onto your prepared baking sheet and form it into a round mound. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross halfway through the length of the dough.
  
• Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the bread feels hollow. You can check this by picking up the bread and tapping the bottom of the loaf.
• For a less crunchy crust, remove the bread from the oven once it is done and cover with a clean tea towel or dishcloth. If you want a more hard crust, then just let the bread cool openly on a wire rack.