I’ve always been suspicious of a single substance that can clean my teeth, armpits, and refrigerator, make my bread rise, and cut cocaine.

That demonstrated recipe is hardly at all what my Irish mother baked every week and what I knew as bread for my entire life. (Shop bought sliced bread was a treat.) There was never egg, baking powder, sugar, seeds, butter nor raisins. I’ve also never seen it made using a mixer. It is a high fiber low fat bread that is intended to take little groceries to make and is quick made by hand.. you’re to toss the dry together with your hands to incorporate air, make a well in the centre, dump in room temperature buttermilk(this is key), mix up, dump out on a tray and bake. Also, the X on the top is not decorative, it is to be deep to distribute heat evenly so it doesn’t cake up in the middle. And, you cool it standing on its end, and keep it wrapped in tin foil, not plastic wrap otherwise the crust goes soggy. This is a closer proximity to what I know as soda bread: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/…
I’ll ask mom to make an extra one this week for you Peter, and bring in to you to sample.