Irish Soda Bread

The two signs of spring that appear in March at my local ShopRite are bunches of brightly colored tulips and Irish soda bread. The bread from the grocery store is actually quite good, but it lacks distinction without the addition of caraway seeds. When I decided to try baking it myself I found that recipes differed greatly in terms of ingredients. Some called for melted butter, others for the butter to be chilled. Some listed milk, and others buttermilk. I tried a couple recipes that I found online and luckily did not require much effort to make because they yielded disappointing results. The breads were dry and crumbled easily, and would not hold together to be toasted. 

For my third attempt, I used a recipe from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook that I had picked up at a library book sale some years ago, and have rarely used other than to thumb through and admire the beautiful photographs. This recipe proved to be a winner. I cut the recipe in half, just in case it didn’t work, and I omitted the egg yolk and heavy cream glaze that Martha adds before baking.  I had to increase the quantity of flour, plus I added a bit of whole wheat to the mix. 

Irish soda bread is a quick bread that uses baking soda as a leavening agent to make it rise. Caraway seeds are actually the dried fruit of the caraway plant and have a mild flavor similar to anise. Caraway seeds are used in curries, sausage, rye bread, sauerkraut, cole slaw and aquavit, a Scandinavian spirit. According to www. eatouteatwell.com, Irish soda bread dates back to the 1800’s when bread was baked daily.  (My mother’s mother also baked bread daily in the 1900s) The Irish used buttermilk as it was readily available as a by-product after churning butter. The bread was baked on a griddle or in a cast-iron pot with a lid that could be placed directly in the coals of the fireplace.  A cross is impressed on the top of the bread before baking for superstitious and practical reasons. The cross was said to ward off the Devil, and it allows the heat to penetrate to the center of the loaf.

Ingredients

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. whole wheat flour

2 T. sugar

1 T. caraway seeds

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

2 T. chilled salted butter cut into pieces

1 c. raisins

3/4 c. buttermilk

1 egg

1/2 t. baking soda

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. ( I didn’t do this, I have a well-seasoned baking sheet.).  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, caraway seeds, baking powder and salt until well combined. Use a pastry blender or large fork to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with few large clumps remaining.  Mix in the raisins.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk, and baking soda until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold everything together. With your hands, form the dough into a round, domed loaf.  Lift from the bowl, and place on the baking sheet. 

With a knife, cut a cross about 3/4 of an inch deep. Bake for one hour.  Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf.  The bread is done when crumbs do not adhere to the toothpick.  The crust will be a dark, golden brown,  Cool on a wire rack. Store wrapped in foil or plastic.

The bread measures about 6 inches in diameter, so it is a rather small loaf. It is delicious toasted and served with butter. Next time I plan on adding some grated orange rind to the bread.

Thanks for reading!

Vicki