Just put two loaves in the oven. They're my first ever experience with ISB--never ate one, never made one. So much so that I was actually surprised to go hunting for recipes and find that the standard contains raisins and caraway seeds. Also, was surprised to realize that a loaf of "soda bread" is, essentially, one giant biscuit, flour plus moistening agent plus instant leavening. I figured that out just in time too, as I would have easily overworked the dough without that thought in mind. I followed the recipe but used buttermilk for lightness and added sunflower seeds for the beautiful emerald green they turn in the presence of baking soda. I also doubled the sugar (only 1 tblsp for 4 cups flour?), thinking a little too much sounds better than not enough.
Cross your fingers for me: the dough seemed a bit too dry, though I initially added the correct amount of buttermilk and even added another quarter cup and a tablespoon on top of that. It's probably still drier than I'd make a biscuit dough--might have made a mistake in not adding even more, but considering that I was already up 15% and was making loaves not little discs, I didn't want to weight it down.
Anybody else cooking for the holiday?
