There has been a shortage in some stores of yeast. Several people have been posting that they can’t find yeast in their local stores due to the Coronavirus. One such poster shared her favorite recipe for Irish soda bread which does not require yeast. The recipe calls for baking soda for the leavening in the bread rather than regular yeast.

I heard good reviews on this bread and set out to bake some myself. Of course, I love to bake in my little 6 inch cast iron skillet so I modified the recipe to fit into my original No. 3 cast iron pan.

I baked my Irish soda bread using the recipe from Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking site. To achieve the right amount of bread to bake in my cast iron pan, I cut the recipe in half. I also found that I didn’t need as much milk as called for so do be careful not to add too much milk as you make your dough ball.

Irish soda bread before baking.

The Irish soda bread rose very nicely and I baked it the initial 15 minutes at 425 F degrees and then about 18-19 minutes at 400 F. Halfing the recipe provided for just the right amount of bread for two generous servings for my husband and I. I served my Irish soda bread along with a bowl of homemade stew. The heavier Irish soda bread went well with our stew meal.

Overall I love the idea of using alternate yeast sources especially during these times of shortages that we are facing. Another alternate to regular bread yeast is wild sourdough yeast. Here is my wild sourdough starter directions. Anyone can make wild sourdough yeast at home. It is made by capturing wild yeast from the air and creating a natural sourdough yeast starter.

Check out my posts on these recipes and other useful ideas Continue Reading →