Gypsy Soda Bread

By the time I graduated art school I had moved ten times and attended nine different schools in four different states. Not all that unusual, I imagine, for many Americans. And for those of us with nomadic ancestry it simply feels natural to do so, to gather up and move in sync with the wheel of the seasons, aligned with winged migrations and turning stars. I have always kept a gypsy heart, even when it wasn't easy. Even when I let her out only in my deepest dreams, or inside a brushstroke, or as I stirred makeshift dough with one of my young sons, improvising ingredients on a budget so small every dollar bill mattered.

I am part Scott-Irish with a dash of Lithuanian, and a maternal grandmother who hid our true heritage all her life. Her twenty-year-old mother, Josefa, arrived in Philadelphia, alone, with nothing but a suitcase, speaking only Yiddish and Polish in her adopted new country, America. It was the turn of a new century. Imagine what she must have felt! I wish I had known her.

And I wish I had more than just imaginings and intuition about this gypsy heritage- Ashkenazic Jewish and Scott-Irish. People used to packing up. Starting over. Making bread from a few scratch ingredients. Today I made a version of my favorite pre-celiac soda bread, incorporating two grains of the native New World, corn and sorghum, and savoring yet another eclectic improvisation that was grainy, tender and without pretense.

And so I named it after my heart.

Gypsy Soda Bread

Every soda bread is different. And every cook has her preferences. Caraway or no caraway? Raisins or currants? Buttermilk or plain milk? You decide. A soda bread is all about the differences, reflecting the tastes (and the pantry) of the baker.

Dry ingredients::

2/3 cup Pamela's Ultimate Baking Mix - or other self-rising GF flour mix
1/2 cup organic cornmeal - or almond meal if you avoid corn
1/2 cup sweet sorghum flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum - or 1 envelope gelatin powder

Wet Ingredients::

3/4 milk* or plain rice milk
3/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 large free-range organic eggs - room temperature
2 tablespoons light olive oil

Stir In::

1 rounded teaspoon caraway seeds
1/3 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 7 or 8-inch cake pan and dust it with cornmeal (or almond meal).

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly pour the wet into the dry ingredients, gently mixing as you go [I use a soft silicone or rubber spatula]. When the dough is evenly moist, add the caraway and raisins. Stir only briefly to mix them in.

Scrape and spoon out the dough into the prepared cake pan; and using moist palms, flatten and shape the dough into a round loaf. Sprinkle with a very light dusting of cornmeal or gluten-free flour.

Using a dry sharp knife, slice a criss-cross into the dough [not too deep!] to discourage the mischievous fairies from messing with your humble loaf of bread.

Place the pan into the center of a preheated oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the loaf is golden and crusty. Insert a wooden toothpick into the center if you like, to test for doneness.

Cool on a wire rack for ten minutes; and turn the loaf out of the pan to cool to room temperature - although it's best warm and tender from the oven, I think, even if it crumbles a bit.

Cook's Notes::

• If using traditional buttermilk in this recipe, omit the cider vinegar.

• Soda breads are definitely best eaten the day they are baked. Slice and freeze leftovers for grilling in butter, or use leftovers to make a bread pudding.

• For a more traditional Irish Soda Bread, try this dairy-free recipe.
  

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