Issue 2, Volume 3, 2006

St. Patrick’s Day Favorite

Everyone seems to be Irish this time of year so if you want to celebrate the holiday without having to cook corn beef, why not bake a little Irish Soda Bread? You don’t have to be Irish to enjoy Irish Soda Bread.

You say you have never had it? What is Irish Soda Bread? Irish Soda Bread is like a giant scone leavened with baking soda. When I say scone don’t think of those brick-like things served in local coffee shops. A true scone has a flaky biscuit like interior, with buttery layers that break apart. Irish Soda bread has a crusty brown top and a tender, buttery inside studded with caraway seeds and raisins. What makes Soda Bread Soda Bread is that there is no yeast or rising involved.

“The bread has been a particular specialty of Ireland since the late 19th century. In Ireland the use of bicarbonate of soda or bread soda in bread-making was commonplace by the 1840s and certainly by the second half of the 19th century soda bread had become an established feature of the Irish diet. Its popularity can in part be attributed to the fact that rural Ireland did not have a strong tradition of yeast bread manufacture.”

The Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999

Don’t be afraid to make this bread. Make sure you flour your hands before the final kneading. Just knead it until it comes together or the bread will be tough. As soon as you can get it into a loose ball shape it is ready for the oven. It goes together fast and before you know it, you are slathering butter on a thick slice, dreaming of the green hills of Ireland!

IRISH SODA BREAD

2 C. Flour
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1/4 C. Chilled Butter (1/2 stick) cut in slices, and then quarter the slices
3/4 C. Raisins ( I found a new Sunmade brand of baking raisins that require no soaking)
2 Tbsp. Caraway Seeds, optional (don’t leave these out – they really make for a great flavor)
2/3 C. Buttermilk
1 Egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Put butter slices on top of flour mixture. I use a food processor at this point and just pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Or use a pastry blender or 2 forks to cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly. Add raisins and caraway seeds to mixture. Measure 2/3 cup buttermilk. Add egg to buttermilk; beat together. Add liquid to dry ingredients. Stir well.

Place a small amount of flour on the counter. Turn dough out. Flour your hands. Knead briefly. Form the dough into a ball and place in a greased round pan (or form into a rectangle and place in a greased loaf pan).

Use sharp knife to cut a cross over the top of the bread (supposed to prevent cracking). Coat the top of the loaf with 1 tablespoon milk for color and shine (may also use egg white). Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown on top.

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Lisa Waldschmidt is a Personal Chef and Caterer. To learn more about Lisa and her services, check out HaveWhiskWillTravel.com. For questions, ideas for the newsletter or comments, click here.