Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It was about two weeks ago, I had a craving for Soda Farls, a staple in the Irish diet. You can buy them at any store or bakery in Ireland, but not in The States. So, what's a girl to do? I took out my Little Irish Book of Baking, to see if there was a recipe and if it translated to ingredients we have here and to my surprise they are only four ingredients and sounded pretty simple to make. Off to the store I went for buttermilk (the only ingredient I didn'tt have in my cupboard or fridge). I tried making these the two different ways they suggest and came up with my own suggestions for you! What you need:

450g/1lb/about 4 cups plain white flour

1 tsp (heaped) baking soda

1 tsp salt

340-400ml/12-14fl oz. /1 3/4-2 cups buttermilk

Sift or stir dry ingredients, make a well in the center and gradually add the buttermilk as you stir it into flour mixture. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly, form a circle 1 inch thick. Cut the circle into quarters.

Oven method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place farls on a preheated baking tray and bake for 40-45 minutes. ****This is not my favorite method, because they come out looking more like a scone then a traditional farl.

Griddle method: Place farls on a moderately hot griddle and cook slowly over heat until they have risen and a white skin has formed on top, approximately 5-8 minutes (don't flip them prematurely, because they will not cook right in the center. Turn over and underside until browned. When cooked the farls will sound hollow if tapped.

To serve: You could serve with homemade jam and butter, or my favorite way is as a breakfast sandwich with a fried egg and bacon!

Note: You could also use a mixture of 2 cups whole wheat flour and 2 cups white flour to make it a little healthier. I find using all whole wheat make the farls to tough and heavy.