Chronology of the Hearth Loaf

In 1817, the editor of The Gentleman's Magazine in London faced a challenge: devise a better bread-making method for poor-quality wheat. Choosing to forego leaven, he concocted a recipe using wheat flour, mealy potatoes, salt, water, soda, and muriatic acid.

His experiments involved mixing carbonate of soda with flour and the pulp of steamed potatoes, combining them with diluted muriatic acid. The result was a unique bread, resembling soda bread without potatoes. In a 9 lb cake with added ingredients, costing two shillings and sixpence, he found an affordable alternative.

The "Dublin Quarterly Journal of Medical Science" published in 1850 (p. 182) refers to unscrupulous dealers: During the failure of the potato crop, a large quantity of bicarbonate of soda was employed by the poorer classes in the preparation of bread; the article consequently became scarce, owing to the increased demand, and the price rose accordingly.

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Important Developments

British Recognition and the Journal Entry.

In 1866 and 1868, British publications acknowledged Soda Bread's popularity in the United States, emphasizing its consumption. However, there doesn’t seem to be much evidence in cook books of the time to support that theory. An illuminating entry in the 1861 journal "Chemistry and Chemical Analysis" by the Ireland Commissioners of National Education explained the chemistry behind Soda Bread, highlighting its lightness and wholesome properties despite the absence of yeast fermentation.

Although it is very desirable that bread should be light, it is not always possible to obtain yeast: - hence, what is called "soda bread" has been of late, very much used. Its lightness is due to carbonic acid, disengaged from bicarbonate of soda. The latter is mixed with the flour, and is decomposed by an acid -- sometimes, by that contained in sour milk, but more conveniently by dilute hydrochloric acid. This kind of bread has not the advantage of its constituents being even slightly broken up, by incipient fermentation; nevertheless, it is said to have properties, which render it at least as wholesome as that which is made with yeast.

In November 1836, The Farmer's Magazine cited a recipe for "soda bread" from the Newry Telegraph, emphasizing its health benefits. The method involved wheaten meal, salt, super-carbonate of soda, and very sour buttermilk, creating a soft dough baked to perfection. The story was picked up by papers in England and Scotland and went "viral" for that time.. And then, to the U.S.

A correspondent of the Newry Telegraph (a newspaper in Northern Ireland) gives the following receipt for making "soda bread," stating that "there is no bread to be had equal to it for invigorating the body, promoting digestion, strengthening the stomach, and improving the state of the bowels." He says, "put a pound and a half of good wheaten meal into a large bowl, mix with it two teaspoonfuls of finely-powdered salt, then take a large teaspoonful of super-carbonate of soda, dissolve it in a half a teacupful of cold water, and add it to the meal; rub up all intimately together, then pour into the bowl as much very sour buttermilk as will make the whole into soft dough (it should be as soft as could possibly be handled, and the softer the better,) form it into a cake of about an inch thickness, and put into a flat Dutch oven or frying pan, with some metallic cover, such as an oven-lid or griddle, apply a moderate heat underneath for twenty minutes, then lay some clear live coals upon the lid, and keep it so for half an hour longer (the under heat being allowed to fall off gradually for the last fifteen minutes,) taking off the cover occasionally to see that it does not burn. This he concludes, when somewhat cooled and moderately buttered, is as wholesome as ever entered man's stomach. Wm . Claker , Esq., of Gosford, has ordered a sample of the bread to be prepared, and a quantity of the meal to be kept for sale at the Markethill Temperance Soup and Coffee Rooms. Farmer's Magazine.

This exact word-for-word article also appeared in "The Southern Planter" published in 1843. The above is the earliest reference to a "soda bread" recipe in Ireland we have come across.

Super‑carbonate of soda is an old term for sodium carbonate (washing soda), while bicarbonate of soda is sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). The key difference is strength: sodium carbonate is a much stronger alkali (pH ~11–12) used for heavy‑duty cleaning, whereas sodium bicarbonate is a mild alkali (pH ~8–9) suitable for cooking, gentle cleaning, and antacid use. (Rawsource.com)

The 1836 patent granted to John Whiting, M.D., of Kennington, England, outlined another method for preparing farinaceous food using wheat flour, carbonate of soda, and muriatic acid. This method closely resembled the making of soda bread, with detailed instructions for optimal results.

The introduction of pre-packed "Royal Baking Powder" in 1835 marked a shift, combining bicarbonate of soda with cream of tartar for a reliable alkali/acid pairing, revolutionizing bread-making. Meanwhile, baking soda found its way into Ireland around the 1840s, with the mystery of its introduction yet to be unraveled.

While Britain primarily used baking powder in the 1830s, soda bread in Ireland continued to be made with Bread Soda, not baking powder, as per interviews collected by the Folklore Commission of the Republic of Ireland between 1937-39. The reasons—tradition or price—remain unclear.

The U.S. witnessed the incorporation of "The Royal Baking Powder" company in 1873, separate from its British counterpart in 1835. In 1846, Americans John Dwight and Dr. Austin Church started producing bicarbonate of soda, with Church's earlier experiments dating back to the 1830s in Rochester, NY.

The intricate history of soda bread and bicarbonate of soda unfolds, marked by experimentation, patents, and shifts in bread-making practices, weaving together the stories of the English and American contributions to this culinary legacy.

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The iconic cow trademark, representing the acidic agent needed for activation, persisted until 1960.

The Journey of "Saleratus" (Baking Soda):

"Saleratus" means baking soda, and in 1867, Church's sons formed Church & Co., introducing the famous "arm and hammer" logo.

The 1896 merger birthed Church & Dwight, Inc., applying the trademark Arm & Hammer, initially for baking soda, to various products today.

The Acid Side of the Equation:

Sour milk played a crucial role in soda bread making, a practice mirrored in both Ireland and the U.S. In the 1930s, clever marketing led to the sale of sour milk, which would typically be discarded by creameries. Today, buttermilk has replaced sour milk, though it differs from its 19th-century counterpart.

For those wanting to recreate the traditional experience, waiting for milk to sour or using substitutes like lemon juice, vinegar, or cream of tartar in fresh milk are options. Saco Cultured Buttermilk blend, a convenient powder needing only water, offers a modern solution and is the solution to having modern buttermilk go bad. Find it in the baking aisle for a taste of history at home or on camping trips. But, the reality is that modern buttermilk isn't the same as what is left over from churning butter as was used in 19th Century and early 20th Ireland. The key seems to be that the milk was allowed to go slightly sour before being churned which left the buttermilk with a higher acidity level. Look for news here from our research into finding "authentic" buttermilk.

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