Irish Soda Bread

observe the bread

it's hiding but you can still see it

the one picture we took while baking. i hope you observe the copious amounts to alcohol

This wonderful bread substance has been my contribution to the St. Paddy’s effort every year. I like baking much more than cooking and substantially more than cooking meat so it is really all that is left. I have come to the conclusion that Irish Soda Bread tastes more like a really delicious scone than bread. So here is a recipe (and story) for scone bread. Enjoy.

Soda bread was not introduced into Ireland until the 1800. Some of the sources I have read say that the method of using baking soda or acid to leaven bread was introduced to the world by the Native Americans. Columbian exchange, anyone? Anybody? Nobody. The Irish were somewhat excited by this revelation because not only could they make good leavened bread, but they could make it without using an oven. They made it on a cast iron skillet over a fire. I did not use this method. Although both northern Ireland and southern Ireland adopted this “poor man’s bread,” they prepared it differently. In northern Ireland, the bread was flattened into a round disk and then cut into four triangles, and each was cooked on a griddle. In southern Ireland, it was made into a round shape and then a cross was drawn on the top to ward off the devil. It was eaten with butter as it obviously should be eaten.

Ok so here is the Irish-American version that we always make. Because as you and I have learned we apparently can never be truly Irish. I have, however, included a link for the traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe here.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup unsalted butter (a stick, you should know that) cut into cubes, room temperature
• 2 ½ cups of raisins
• 3 tablespoons caraway seeds
• 2 ½ cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or you can try the skillet over a fire method and tell me how that goes)
2. Butter with a lot of butter a 10-12’’ oven proof skillet
3. Whisk the first five ingredients together in a bowl
4. Add the chunks of butter and then with your fingers make the dough crumble, I really hope you understand what I mean by that
5. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds
6. In a different bowl whisk the buttermilk and egg together and then pour this mixture into the dough
7. Stir this with a wooden spoon (I haven’t figured this reasoning out but it worked)
8. Put this dough into the skillet and then pound it a little and then cut an x into the center
9. Put it in the oven and hope that you did it right
10. Wait and hour and fifteen minutes
11. Now you are done. Eat it with butter.