Nouveau Irish Soda Bread

Directions

1. Cut potatoes into 1-inch pieces and place in a saucepan with cold water to cover and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, and cook until quite tender, about 15 minutes. Drain using the pan lid to hold back the potatoes, and add butter to the pan. Mash in the pan with a hand masher.
2. While potatoes are cooking, preheat oven to 400° F.
3. Sift the all-purpose and cake flours, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl. Press any remaining lumps through with your fingers.
4. Add the mashed potatoes, celery, scallions, yogurt, beer, and honey. Stir to blend with a spatula or a wooden spoon just until all dry ingredients are moistened.
5. Scatter about a half cup of all-purpose flour on your work surface. Use a plastic scraper to pull the dough out of the bowl. You're not going to knead it as much as you're going to bring it together into a ball (flour your palms too) and gently toss it in the flour to coat it. When it has a nice round shape, set it on a baking sheet lined with parchment (or dusted with flour). Use a serrated knife to carve either an X or a cross—tomato, tomahto—about 2 inches long in the center of the top. Take a look at the photo in the slideshow here. See how much the loaf bloomed open as it rose? Seriously, no more than 2-inch cuts.
6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until surface is deeply browned and you can tap on the more tender center of the X/cross and it feels bouncy, not soft or wet.
7. While the bread is baking, clean up your work area.
8. When bread is done, remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.