Dia duit gach duine! (my irish is a bit rusty) St. Paddy’s* day is almost here. and the corned beef smells delicious! Most would use this as an excuse to drink till blacking out, but i prefer to cook instead. I am making a feast, corned beef and cabbage and soda bread! Now i am not Irish, not one drop of blood in me, however i am dating an Irishman from Ireland so i guess that makes me Irish by proxy. Now many may be surprised that St. Patricks day is not celebrated in ireland like it is here in the states. Its more of a religious holiday over there though the younger generation may drink more heavily. But like any holiday, and in Irish families, the food is always the most important. You walk in to some ones home they will feed you wether your hungry or not, trust me you cant refuse. Best thing is to just accept it. So my first recipe is for a traditional soda bread.
I get asked to make this all the time. And when ever i do, it doesn’t last even a day and has pieces hacked off just minutes after it comes out of the oven.This is a very basic recipe and quick to throw together, but i have it on good authority that it is out of this world. My SO’s other two irish flat mates gave it rave reviews and, my SO even declared it was better then his moms! (blasphemy i know) Any who, this bread is crusty, dense and moist inside. Its not sweet, which is perfect in my estimation and tastes amazing smothered in butter and the butter milk really gives it a nice flavor. I dont remember where I saw this recipe but I adapted it a bit cause I found that it was a bit dry, which made it difficult to shape into a round.
Traditional soda bread
4 Cups flour
4 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 Cup buttermilk +3-4 tablespoons if to dry (if you dont have butter milk on hand, mix 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar and let stand for 5 minutes)
1 Egg
additional melted butter and milk for brushing
Preheat oven to 375. In a Large bowl mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Cut the butter in to chunks and cut into the flour mixture using a pasty cutter, or your hands until only pea sized pieces remain. Stir in the buttermilk and egg until you get a soft dough. If its dry add the tablespoons of buttermilk 1 at time till constancy is reached.and it holds together better when kneading. Kneed the dough on a floured surface and shape into a round and place it on a baking sheet. Bush with a melted butter mixture and cut an X into the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Bake in oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the loaf is golden.
Let me know how they came out!! Happy St. Patricks Day!
*Its not ‘Patty”. if you ever say that to an irish person they would probably hit you. I got an earfull from my SO the first time he heard me say it. Patrick is the anglicized version of Padrig, hence Paddy for short*
Elly's Adventures in Cooking 