I don't mean to load you down with carbs but when I realized it turned March today, I got all excited about making Irish Soda Bread again. I only make it in March for St.Patrick's Day and I have no idea why I only save this rich bread for this month? I'll have to work on making this more often, as it's super easy, hearty and goes good with anything! Have you made Irish Soda Bread before? I have the cutest littlest Irish cookbook so I use a tradional recipe, which I'm sharing today, note it doesn't call for caraway seeds like many recipes do, and that's totally up to you, but true Irish Soda Bread doesn't call for them, but I have made many loaves with both raisins and caraway seeds mixed in and it's still very yummy.
Irish Soda Bread
3 Tb. butter,softened
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 Tb. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. raisins
3/4 c. buttermilk
Preheat oven to 375 and grease cookie sheet, set aside. Cut butter into flour, sugar, baking soda and powder and salt in large bowl, using2 knives or a pastry blender, till mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in raisins ( caraway seeds too if using them) and enough buttermilk so dough leaves sides of bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 1-2 min. Shape into a round loaf and place on cookie sheet. With a floured knife, make a X on top and brush with butter. Bake for 35-45 min. Serve warm.
This was the most popular bread in Ireland and often made daily for breakfast and tea time and I can see why, it's also very good toasted with jam. So, treat yourself and family to this tradional bread for St. Patricks Day or any old day for that matter, live it up!
Have never made this, but sounds good, except I am not crazy about raisins in bread. Wondering how it would be without it.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue Sweetie...
ReplyDeleteI am so tickled to see this loaf of bread and how wonderful of you to share the recipe. I will have to make a loaf for St. Patrick's Day for the family. They will be so tickled.
Hope you are doing well sweet friend. Many hugs and much love, Sherry
Thanks for sharing this recipe, Sue. Think I'm gonna try it:)
ReplyDeleteYum, I know my kids would love this. Thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteYummm....I love this stuff!
ReplyDeleteStaci
Nice herb walk over at Best Garden blogs!!
ReplyDeleteI love Irish Soda bread! Wish I could make it more then once a year, but hubby doesn't like it :(
ReplyDeleteYour recipe is similar to the one I use and was raised on that my mom got from a newspaper pre 1940's. Doesn't use any eggs in it as some recipes do, and calls for some cream of tartar in it. Also more sugar and raisins, giving a sweeter cake-like taste. Instead of just using the dark raisins, I use BOTH light and dark raisins in mine when I make it up, for a contrast. Would make large batches of it up, to make from 3 to 5 loaves at one time, using various cassarole baking dishes and pans. We'd make up about a dozen of them every year. We'd freeze it and end up eating it for several months, like a raisin bread. Even oval shaped glass bowls, like the ones used for making casseroles and meat loaf and the like were/are used. Even use the Wilton Cake pans. Especially the horseshoe shaped one. For St. Pat's day we also add a few drops of green food coloring, which is used sparingly because the bread comes out a darker shade of green when its baked. The food coloring is added to the buttermilk while still in the container before using it to make the ISB. Doing it this way it comes out even in making the ISB and so it doesn't have white butter/floury spots in it and the batches all come out the same shade, like dye lots in wool and the like. My fathers co-workers always looked forwarded to Mom's Green Irish Soda Bread annually. Only half of the ISB loaves had the food coloring in them for those who weren't keen on them, thinking that they were moldy. LOL. Mom even made them up cupcake shaped too. I use mom's ways when making mine up over the years. The ISB were/are more of an annual treat than the one pot corned beef and cabbage meal on St.Patty's Day. Mom was Irish descent, so, this was a really special holiday treat for us as we grew up and passed onto our own children and will be passing onto our own grandchildren...
ReplyDelete