Today is St. Patrick’s Day. I am part Irish and just started a food blog. Irish Soda Bread was a must. I saw a recipe by Julia Child and whipped it up while talking on the phone. Not a good idea. It had only 4 ingredients and seemed so easy.

Then I opened the oven to this ugly loaf of bread. I trimmed a piece off and thought it’s missing the raisins. Julia’s did not call for them. This was quite possibly the worst thing I had ever made….sorry Julia.

Now truth be told I know good Irish Soda Bread. Muldoon’s, this adorable Irish pub just a few blocks down in Newport Beach serves up a delicious Irish Soda Bread. I remembered it being a bit sweet so off I went in search of a better recipe and to the store for more buttermllk.

It turns out there are many variations of Irish Soda Bread on the web. Here are a few others you might be interested in.

• Deb at Smitten Kitchen’s made a Skillet Irish Soda Bread

• Elise at Simply Recipes serves up her version of Irish Soda Bread

• Jesse at Cakespy.com serves up fun versions - even green scones

I ended up creating my own from a few recipes I saw. In doing so I created the largest Irish Soda Bread ever made. The bread was tasted much closer to the ones I remember. The outside was crisp but inside was a moist crumb.

My goal - I have one year to get the Muldoon’s recipe and bake it up for you.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Irish Soda Bread

4 - 4 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons butter melted
1 1/2 cup raisins or currants
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°. Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a large mixing bowl. Stir in raisins

In a small bowl stir together the buttermilk, egg and melted butter.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add liquid mixture to it and mix with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir. Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough until it forms a ball. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf or two to three smaller loaves.

Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a baking sheet. Take a knife and score an X in the top of the dough about 1/2″ deep. Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden, about 35-45 minutes. Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done.

Transfer bread to a rack to let cool briefly. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted.

This type of bread is best the day it is made and possibly the next.