Soda bread pastry flour (made from soft wheat), which has lower levels of gluten than a bread flour. In some recipes, the buttermilk is replaced by live yogurt or even stout. Because the leavening action starts immediately (compared to the time taken for yeast bread to rise), bakers recommend the minimum amount of mixing of the ingredients before baking; the dough should not be kneaded. Various forms of soda bread are popular throughout Ireland. Soda breads are made using wholemeal, white flour, or both. In Ulster, the wholemeal variety is usually known as "wheaten bread" and is normally sweetened, while the term
Buttermilk cultured buttermilk to simulate residual flecks of butter that can be left over from the churning process of traditional buttermilk. Cultured buttermilk, often known simply as "buttermilk" now, was first commercially introduced in the United States in the 1920s. It was popular among immigrants, and viewed as a food that could slow aging. It reached peak annual sales of in 1960. Buttermilk's popularity has declined since then, despite an increasing population, and annual sales in 2012 reached less than half that number. Condensed buttermilk and dried buttermilk have increased in importance in the food industry. Buttermilk solids are used in