1st did you not catch me posting a recipe that’s nearly identical to the one from the site you link to. Save for a higher hydration and a more modern technical recipe?
2nd brown and white soda bread are 2 forms of the same thing. That have both been made for as long as chemically leavened breads have been made in Ireland. The difference is down to access to white flour. If you had it you made white, if you didn’t you made brown. The story goes that white bread was often relegated to special occasions. With brown for every day. But sufficed to say both are referred to as soda bread. But white soda bread has been fairly uncommon (baring regional preference) in much of Ireland for around a century. None of my family members, including my grandfather (born 1921 in Offaly) or his siblings (born earlier oldest sibling ~1900) ever saw white soda bread. None of my extensive family over there would acknowledge white soda bread as anything but an American bastardization until recent heritage food movements started to re-popularize it. I would imagine if you’re in one of those bits of Ireland where white soda bread remained a thing that soda bread might by default refer to the white. Though I doubt Claire is one of those. I’ve never been there so I couldn’t tell you for sure. Farls, which are mostly a Northern thing. Do seem to be white more often than soda bread down South.
In much of Ireland if you say “soda bread” it means brown bread. Though terminology varies regionally. Most people I know call it brown bread. But Wheaten bread is another name. And the term “soda bread” seem generally unused in most of the bits of Ireland I’m familiar with. I’ve known many Irish people to come over here. Get served American soda bread. And lead with “why is it white” before bitching about the fruit and sweetness.
And yes many American versions are closer to certain tea cakes (so far as I know that’s a category not a single dish). But they are said to descend from special occasion versions of various breads made in Ireland. Particularly for Sundays and major church holidays (especially Christmas and Easter) where you’d toss some sugar, dried fruits, or nuts in the soda bread to make it special.
More direct antecedents were Barmbrack and Scones, American Soda breads much more closely resemble those. And may be derived from them as much as from actual soda bread.
In fact if you like that Americanized soda bread. And would like something that is. Well, just better executed. I’d recommend making some scones. Pretty much the same flavor. But less leaden and dry.
Frankly if you’re going to be this pedantic about it. You can’t even make the “real deal” by that definition without tracking down real butter milk. The stuff you get in the store is basically very thin non-fat yogurt. It does not come from making butter. Real buttermilk is hard to find without actually making cultured butter (buttermilk from sweet cream butter isn’t acidic enough to leaven baked goods).
That does look really similar. And given the way most of Australia’s early white population got there. Well I’d say there’s a connection. Damper looks like its closer to traditional basic soda bread than most of the American versions.
