Given that we are almost into the month of March, and inching closer to St. Patrick’s Day, I felt it was time to bring the 'gaelic' into the garlic so to speak by introducing an Irish recipe. Each year, I celebrate this holiday by making Irish soda bread, a variety of quick bread in which baking soda is used as leavening agent instead of the traditional yeast. The traditional ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. Other ingredients can include butter, egg, raisins or nuts. In Ireland, you will find varieties with Guinness, treacle, walnuts or herbs. The sweetened version made with caraway, raisins or currants is seldom seen, but it is the kind I tend to enjoy as it is delicious when it is warmed and served with Irish butter. I have experimented over the years with a few different ingredients. The recipe below is the one I turn to and that the kids most enjoy!
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour (I like King Arthur brand)
1 ¾ cups buttermilk
I egg, lightly beaten
4 tbsps. Butter diced
1 tsp. sea salt
3 tbsps. Sugar
I tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. orange zest grated
3/4 cup dried currants
1 tbsp. caraway seeds
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the butter and mix on low until mixed sufficiently.
3. Add the buttermilk, beaten egg and orange zest to the flour mixture. Add the currants with just a little bit of flour and the caraway seeds and mix into the dough.
4. Turn out the wet dough onto a floured surface and knead it into a round shaped loaf. Place it on the prepared sheet pan and using a serrated knife, cut a cross pattern into the top. Bake for 50 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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