Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread

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.

JC Soda Bread

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.

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.

Dough
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.

Similar Posts