IRISH SODA BREAD

 

Irish Soda Bread is delicious, dense, biscuit like bread that I slather 

with Irish Kerrygold Butter. 

The reason for its unique texture is due to the lack of yeast. Instead of using

yeast to help the bread rise, it uses baking soda . A chemical reaction

 between the baking soda and the buttermilk produces

carbon dioxide which caused the

bread to rise...

Hence the name Soda Bread :)

In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients....

4 cups of flour

4 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

Pour in 1 and 1/4 cup of buttermilk to the bowl.

Crack in one egg.

Pour in 1/2 cup of melted Irish Kerrygold Butter.

With a hand mixer combine all the ingredients.

Turn out the dough on a floured surface and kneed it for about 10 minutes.

It's done when it is the consistency of Playdough.

Form the dough into a loaf and put it on a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

With a green knife cut a large X in to the top of the dough. This is very

important to help the dough cook through.

Place the dough into a 375 degree oven for  its first 15 minutes.

While the dough is cooking grab 1/4 cup of buttermilk 

and 1/4 cup of melted butter for the glaze.

Whisk the buttermik and butter together.

After cooking for 15 minutes, take the bread out of the oven and brush 

the glaze over the top of it. Then back in the oven 

for another 15 minutes.

Timer set...

When that 15 minutes is done, take the bread out and glaze again.

Put it back into the oven for another 15 minutes.

Another glaze and 15 minutes back in the oven.

When the 15 minutes is up, use a tooth pick and check the middle of the bread.

If it comes out clean it is done. If it doesn't, glaze it again

and put it back in for a final 10 minutes.

As I mentioned earlier,  I like to eat Irish Soda Bread with butter 

and have it as a snack. But, it was traditionally eaten with Irish

soups and stews. It's really perfect to eat either way.

It's also very delightful with butter and topped with some jam too. 

It turns it into a bit of a breakfast bread :)

Tonight I plan to serve my Irish Soda Bread with my

Slow Cooker Corn Beef and Cabbage!

Few more hours to go in my Slow Cooker and the kitchen smells

Amazing!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

According to folklore, you get pinched on St. Patrick's day for not wearing

green because green makes you invisible to Leprechauns, and

Leprechauns like to pinch.

I got my "Green" on :)

Enjoy!

P.S.

Is Irish Soda Bread Really Irish?

Well... technically no.. but sort of. The first soda bread has been traced to American Indians

who used pearl ash to help their breads rise. But then the process was

adopted in Ireland in the 1830s and the rest is history.

Ireland was one pf the poor countries at the time and people didn't have an abundance

of ingredients to work with. Irish Soda Bread was born out of necessity

using the inexpensive ingredients they had on hand at the time.... So They Say.

But we just make it because it tastes good.

The best butter ever!