Irish Soda Bread

It is no secret that in our house that the second best holiday is certainly St. Patrick’s Day. Okay, it may be the third best behind Christmas and Thanksgiving but those are obvious. We love St. Patrick’s Day in our family. I have so many years of memories of St. Patrick’s Day parades that marched right by our house in Wappingers surrounded by huge and diverse crowds of our friends. We love it so much we even used it to create our baby announcement! It also helps that my favorite color is green. So in honor of the third best holiday, I bring to you my recipe for Irish Soda Bread!

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Now, when I was in middle school, we had to take some home economics classes one of which being cooking class. One of the projects allowed us to bring in food related to our heritage. Being predominantly Irish, my mom helped me make (acquire? I think we made it) Irish Soda Bread.

It was terrible. I don’t know if it was my young palette’s disdain for raisins or if I just wanted to have my Italian side’s cannoli but it was terrible. We never made or had it again.

Fast forward to a couple years ago when Dave asked me if I could make some Irish soda bread. Why make it? Well, there are just certain things that are difficult to find in the South. Soda bread is definitely one of those things that are hard to come by in your everyday Southern grocery store. Even still, it is easy enough and way better fresh than store bought ever could be.

I embarked on an adventure to acquire and perfect the best Irish Soda Bread I could muster with that lingering fear in the back of my mind that it was disgusting and terrible. Boy, am I glad to have had this mega change of heart!

Soda bread is so simple to make and it is delicious. Warm with a little butter, swirled in sweet Guinness glaze, or a side for Guinness shepherds pie this Irish classic is excellent for your St Patrick’s Day festivities. It’s been a huge hit at our parties for years and I’m so glad I gave it a second chance! I usually make two loaves and this year I think I will make three because why waste a half gallon of buttermilk?

Tip: Use a cast iron skillet as a vessel for baking your soda bread. It keeps the bread contained, makes a nice crust on the bottom and it just looks so darn pretty! I use this one, it is the perfect size for just about all your cooking and baking needs. I can’t believe I went so many years without a cast iron skillet.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 tbsp butter (softened)
• 1 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 egg
• 4 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ¾ cups buttermilk (I use store bought but you can make this with milk and vinegar if you’re in a pinch or prefer homemade)
• ¼ cup sugar
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425℉
2. Combine your dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, sugar) in a large mixing bowl.
3. Using your hands (it is messy), mix  the softened butter into your dry ingredients until crumbly and combined.
4. Add raisins (the recipe calls for 1 cup of raisins but I always add a small handful of extra for good luck)
5. Make a well in the bottom of the bowl. Beat egg and add it to the well (I like to live on the dangerous side and crack that sucker right into the well and just beat it there). Add buttermilk to the well. Stir to combine using a sturdy spoon (I use a wooden spoon, the dough is super sticky. You could use your hands for the whole thing if you prefer)
6. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface just until the dough is formed into a roundish ball. The dough should be shaggy and rough. You may need more or less flour depending on how sticky the dough is.
7. Place the dough into a seasoned cast iron skillet (I always rub a little extra olive oil in mine beforehand for good measure) and press it lightly into the pan (This Lodge one is my favorite and is the perfect size for most of my cooking and baking). My dough usually clears the sides of the pan. I just push the top down so there is not so much height to the bread. If you do not have cast iron you can certainly use a baking pan, pizza stone, or even a loaf pan to bake just monitor the time accordingly.
8. Score the bread! This is where the bread gets its pretty cross top. Use a sharp knife and make a cut about a half inch to an inch thick across the bread. This allows for even baking and it looks so pretty!
9. Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown. Like typical bread, soda bread has that semi-hollow sound when you tap on it. If you don’t feel as though it is done but it is browning, just cover it with foil to allow it to finish baking through.
10. The bread slides out of cast iron super easily so transfer to a cooling rack as soon as you can handle it. Let it rest for 20 minutes and then slice and enjoy!