I am groaning out loud right now, because I wish for all the world that I had found this thread several days ago.

I am a very good cook, but when it comes to baking from scratch, I can be (and usually am) incredibly bad. It takes me several attempts at a recipe until it comes out of my oven in an edible form.

And, this past St. Patrick's Day, I decided to try my hand at making soda bread for the first time. I figured it would go well with the delicious Irish stew simmering on the stove top.

Wrong.

I've been saving recipes for over thirty years, and found one for soda bread that appeared to have promise. Nothing too elaborate, just a basic recipe that seemed appealing.

Well, I followed the instructions just about to the letter, but ended up with a round loaf that was rock hard on the outside, quite undercooked on the inside, far too dense... as a matter of fact, if I had bored a hole through the middle, it would have made an excellent barbell plate. But, as an edible item, it most certainly fell short. I actually broke my favorite steak knife on it.

Since it was of no use - other than as a possible doorstop or lethal projectile (think OddJob in the movie "Goldfinger"), it was consigned to the trash.

But, since I absolutely hate to admit defeat in the kitchen, I will study this thread in minute detail and, more than likely, will make several trial runs between now and St. Patrick's Day 2013.

Live and learn.


Jay