Happy St. Paddy's Day

Yes, it makes it green, but Puck wishes it wasn't raining!

Yes, Puck is a fair weather doggy, but all this rain will bring lots of green soon. And in the spirit of the holiday, here's a simple and easy soda bread that makes lots of variations!

SODA BREAD

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour or any combo of white flour, whole wheat pastry flour, and whole wheat flour. Myself, I prefer the all whole wheat bread flour only, which makes the soda bread very dense, chewy and nutty flavored.

1 generous teaspoon baking-soda (but only one otherwise you taste the baking soda)

3/4 teaspoon salt 

1 1/2 cups (about) buttermilk or I prefer to pour a couple of tablespoons of lime juice or vinegar into soy milk for a rich buttermilk flavor.

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a large baking sheet, knocking off excess flour.
  Sift together 4 cups flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and stir in sugar, caraway, and raisins. Add buttermilk and stir just until dough is evenly moistened but still lumpy.
  Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and gently knead with floured hands about 8 times to form a soft but slightly less sticky dough. Halve dough and form into 2 balls. Pat out each ball into a domed 6-inch round on baking sheet. Cut a 1/2-inch-deep X on top of each loaf with a sharp knife, then brush loaves with butter or olive oil.
  Bake in middle of oven until golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer loaves to racks to cool completely.
  
  Variations
  Adds: 
  Nuts of all sorts, I especially love walnuts, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds
  Dried fruits, I hate raisins but cranberries and walnuts, oh yum
  Herbs, rosemary, sage, garlic and onion, the list goes on and depends on what you are having with the bread
  Cheese, Parmesan or a sharp cheddar work best
   
  Any of my readers want to add? And I have turned off word verification so it will be easier to comment!
   
  HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!