Quick & Easy Irish Soda Bread
This has to be one of the easiest bread recipes that I own. It was handed down to me by a women in our church choir who was born in Ireland. She brags that this recipe is "award winning in the Emerald Isle" and we'll have to take her word on that one. All I know is that there are very few ingredients and it puts me in mind of a "dump recipe" with little kneading required.
One would think that Irish Soda Bread has been around as long as leprechauns, rainbows and pots of gold. Actually, baking soda (Bicarbonate of soda) wasn't introduced to Ireland until 1840. The baking soda was used as a leavening agent instead of yeast. Soda bread was considered a "poor man's bread" because the ingredients were simple and not expensive to make.
Ever wonder why Irish Soda Bread has a cross on top of it? A cross was cut on the top with a knife, to ward off the devil and protect the household. (I still do it, why chance it?) The top of the bread is brushed with milk to ensure that there's a crispy outside to this tangy bread. The raisins add a burst of sweetness that is needed. This is a must serve warm with room temperate butter. In Ireland it's served with the meal, yet some save the soda bread for dessert and serve it with fruit preserves.
No matter when you eat your Irish Soda Bread, it goes very well with a pint of Guinness Beer.
This recipe has be modified to make it easy and quick. The original recipe was traditional and lovely, but let's face it, we like to bake fast.
Let's get baking, you'll need:
Preheat oven: 375 bake for 35-40 mins.
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp double-acting baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp. powdered sugar or fine granulated sugar
1/4 cup chilled butter (cubed)
1/2 cup raisins (more if you like)
1 tsp caraway seeds (more if you like)
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 beaten egg
Dry Ingredients:
In a large bowl add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and sugar - use a fork to mix all the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and put the cubed butter in.
I use the utensils that are easiest to clean, my hands! Break the butter down into small "pea size" (never understood that description) pieces. By all means, you can get fancy and use your pastry cutter (yes I have one) or two forks to break down the cold butter. I've found that the heat from my fingers makes the butter softer to work with and it comes together faster. (magic word: FAST)
Add the raisins and caraway seeds to the mix.
Measure out the buttermilk and add the egg a measuring cup. Set the measuring cup aside until the end of the the recipe.
Beat the egg well into the buttermilk and add to the bowl. You can start this dough
with a spoon to mix the buttermilk in, but you'll have to get your hands into the bowl.
Push the dough into the bottom of the bowl and turn it over. This will incorporate the flour into the dough. It also makes it easier to get the flour off of the bottom of the bowl. It's called "turning the dough into itself", I just call it, "getting the flour off the bottom of the bowl".
Using my favorite baking spray (it has oil and flour in the can) I spray a round disposable baking tin and push the dough down evenly.
Use a sharp knife and make a cross on top of the soda bread (we don't need a demonic visit) and brush the bread with milk. I like to take a pastry brush and use
the buttermilk that is left in the measuring cup. (Waste not, want not)
The cross is cut into the top of the bread - don't go down all the way to the bottom of the pan. If you hit the bottom of the pan, myths says, you open a pathway for the Devil to enter in. Actually, it allows too much heat to penetrate the dough and makes a dry bread.
Put the bread in a 375 degree oven and enjoy the wonderful smell as it bakes. Bake the bread on the middle rack in your oven 30-35 mins.
NOTE: GLUTEN FREE IRISH SODA BREAD is possible and delicious. Instead of flour, I use Bob's 1-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. If you want to experiment in making this dairy free, I would use vinegar added to almond milk, instead of the buttermilk. The egg can be replaced with a ground flax seed mock egg (see previous blog for instruction on how to do this).
Enjoy and I leave you with an Irish Blessing:
May you always have... Walls for the winds A roof for the rain Tea beside the fire Laughter to cheer you Those you love near you And all your heart might desire.