Clayton notes that this buttermilk bread is similar to Irish soda bread. He implies that the main difference is the lack of dried fruit, which is interesting because I don't think of fruit as being integral to Irish soda bread. To me, aside from being chemically leavened with baking soda, the defining characteristic of Irish soda bread is the inclusion of a combination of oats and wheat in the dough. Whatever the distinction is, I do agree with the assessment of this as being very similar.

The original recipe only calls for butter and buttermilk to be added to the dry ingredients, but my starter desperately needed feeding, so I included a bit of sourdough discard in the dough as well. I've included the proprotions for both approaches below.

Scottish Buttermilk Bread

Slightly adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Ingredients

• 240g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3/4 c. buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Grease a rimmed baking sheet and dust it with cornmeal.
3. Sift the baking soda and cream of tartar into the flour.
4. Mix in the sugar and salt.
5. Add the butter and mix in, breaking up with fingers, until only very small pieces remain.
6. Pour in buttermilk and mix until soft dough forms.
7. Sprinkle with a little extra flour if dough is too sticky.
8. Shape into a ball, place on prepared baking sheet, and flatten slightly.
9. Slash in an X shape.
10. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 30-35 minutes.

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Variations

Sourdough Buttermilk Soda Bread

Ingredients

• 190g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 100g sourdough discard