Sweet Melissa Sundays – Irish Soda Bread
I hope I don’t get booted out of the group for doing this but for this week’s Sweet Melissa Sundays pick I decided to be a rebel and choose another recipe. This week’s actual pick was a pretty fine one – Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting by Julie of A Little Bit of Everything. Make sure to check out her blog for the recipe as the cake looks quite tasty.
Having just made carrot cake a few weeks ago I thought it would be a good idea to make an Irish Soda Bread recipe in the breakfast section of the book since St. Patty’s Day is only a few days away.
I’m a bread making virgin. But told myself that this year I wanted to get more into making homemade bread. I figured this one would be a great way to start since it is not a yeast bread. The process of making it from start to finish is simple and straight forward – mix the dry, add the butter, add the wet, form into a ball and bake.
What I probably should have done differently is try some Irish Soda Bread to have an idea of what it should taste like. Nonetheless, I thought it tasted great. As you probably already noticed from the picture, the dried fruit is noticeable missing but I’m not a raisins and currents kinda gal. (My coworker Karen, born and raised in Ireland, would probably cringe at this since she specifically told me on Friday that all Irish Soda Bread has some sort of dried fruit in it…Sorry Karen.) I also omitted the caraway seeds because I didn’t have any on hand and they were optional.
This bread would make a great accompaniment to a cup of afternoon tea – slightly dense and crumbly with a tab bit of sweet in the background. The ground cloves also gave it a nice aromatic feel. If you want to take a baby step into bread making, make sure to give this recipe a try.
Now I have to go find myself some store-bought Irish Soda Bread to see how this compares.
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients:
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup black currents
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional)
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilkDirections:
Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
In a medium bowl, combine the raisins and currents. Pour boiling water over to cover and set aside to reconstitute. In a bowl of of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and cloves. Add the cold butter pieces and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the caraway seeds, if using, and mix to blend. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk.
Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to combine thoroughly. Do not over mix. Drain the raisins and currants thoroughly. Add them to the dough and mix on low speed for 20 seconds.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Kneed the dough gently, until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Using a little flour, if needed, form the dough into one large round - or divide it in half to form two small rounds.
Place the round (rounds) on the prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut the traditional "X" cutting about 1 1/2 inches deep into the top. Bake for 20 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes for the large loaf, or 10 minutes for the smaller loaves. The loaves will be golden, and a wooden skewer inserted into the center wil come out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Irish soda bread is best eaten the day it is made, but it can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for two days. For longer storage, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to five days, or freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to three weeks. Defrost still wrapped at room temperature.
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Tracey — March 15, 2010 @ 4:16 am
Haha I did the same thing last year Eliana! Made my first loaf of Irish soda bread but had no idea what it was supposed to taste like so it was tough to review. Your bread looks fantastic!
Esi — March 15, 2010 @ 4:25 am
Ooh, sounds great! I almost made soda bread this weekend.
Andrea — March 15, 2010 @ 5:09 am
Timely post! I've made an Irish soda bread before with raisins, because I AM a raisins and currents kind of girl
Also, you do not need to be afraid of yeast. You're a great baker, and you'd do fine with it. Pick up the Bread Baker's Apprentice and just follow the directions. You'll surprise yourself, for sure!
Paris Pastry — March 15, 2010 @ 8:18 am
How nice! It gave me an idea to make one this Wednesday!
Julie — March 15, 2010 @ 11:37 am
I made Irish Soda bread yesterday. My recipe was different than this one. The recipe said it was better the second day, so we will have it for dinner tonight.Thanks for baking with me this week, even if it was Irish Soda Bread!
cookies and cups — March 15, 2010 @ 12:59 pm
I love irish soda bread, but I'm afraid that if I make it I will eat the entire loaf myself!!
5 Star Foodie — March 15, 2010 @ 3:30 pm
Awesome Irish soda bread! I will use this recipe tomorrow, thanks!
spike. — March 15, 2010 @ 3:36 pm
I like your sub. Making soda bread tomorrow- but I have to add the caraway seeds. They're the best part!
Ingrid — March 15, 2010 @ 5:10 pm
You rebel!
I'm with…raisins, ew! Great job, Eliana. Like you I'm on a mission to really expand my baking horizons.~ingrid
hungrysofia — March 15, 2010 @ 5:33 pm
There's also a great irish soda bread recipe in this month's bon apetit that made a point of leaving out the dried fruit so you're not alone!
R. — March 15, 2010 @ 6:50 pm
We just made our first loaf Saturday (sans any fruit) and we've been snacking on it non-stop! Ours had a bit more buttermilk in it, and a few mixed grains. Delicious!!!!
Nazarina A — March 15, 2010 @ 8:39 pm
You make the saying " Give us our daily bread" so appropriate and I would gladly enjoy the soda bread without the raisins.Yum!
SteelCityFlan — March 15, 2010 @ 9:45 pm
Hah! See, I always thought that Irish Soda Bread was savory, not sweet, and definitely not made with dried fruits. Regardless, it's bread, so yes please.
Nina — March 15, 2010 @ 11:21 pm
Such a rebel! It's okay though, it fits in with the St. Patrick's Day THEME.
Megan — March 16, 2010 @ 1:15 am
I would probably make this without the dried fruit and caraway seeds too. It looks like a great loaf of bread. My friend just made an Irish soda bread this weekend so I got my fill then!
pinkstripes — March 16, 2010 @ 2:47 am
The bread looks wonderful. And it's timely. Can't wait to bake it one day.
CookiePie — March 16, 2010 @ 8:24 pm
Nice looking bread!! Perfect for St. Patrick's Day.
Barbara GF — March 16, 2010 @ 11:08 pm
Yay for St. Patrick's Day and Irish soda bread! For a first try, yours looks delicious, Eliana. I only make this once a year, too, but when I eat it warm from the oven, I wonder why that is. Try some dried cranberries in the bread next time; they are a little sweet and fruity.
Apples and Butter — March 17, 2010 @ 6:08 am
I've had my mind on soda bread all week. I've yet to make it so thanks for the recipe! If you're just getting used to yeast breads, try the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day – it totally gave me the courage to tackle bread.
Shandy — March 17, 2010 @ 6:08 pm
Your Irish Soda Bread looks delicious! I think a LOT of us are thinking about the bread and I am glad we are! So many of us tackle this recipe with alterations that others would not have thought of.
Kathleen — March 18, 2010 @ 1:02 am
This is a beautiful Irish soda bread!!
Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction — March 18, 2010 @ 3:20 am
Looks great! I love Irish soda bread… And, the fact that you don't have to wait for it to rise is nice!
Tessa — March 21, 2010 @ 1:34 am
I've always wanted to try Irish Soda Bread… glad to know yours turned out well!
Flourchild — March 21, 2010 @ 1:04 pm
I love homemade bread and this one looks especially yummy!
Andrea at Nummy Kitchen — March 22, 2010 @ 4:16 pm
Oh, I love Irish Soda Bread, yours looks delicious! Can't wait to try the Sweet Melissa version
Patty — March 22, 2010 @ 9:49 pm
This is what I love most about Saint Pat's Day, there's always so many new and delicious recipes to try out, thanks for posting!
Teanna — March 22, 2010 @ 10:36 pm
I've never had Irish Soda bread either, but yours is making me wish I had some right now!
Amy — March 24, 2010 @ 3:52 am
Hey this looks yummy, I might skip the raisins though, I'm not a fan. I'm trying this out this weekend! thanks a lot xxamyhttp://www.foodista.com
Shari — March 24, 2010 @ 3:55 pm
This looks and sounds delicious. I would definitely include the caraway seeds. Love that taste! Nice post.
biz319 — March 24, 2010 @ 9:29 pm
That's one bread I have yet to make – you make it look delicious!!
Valen — March 25, 2010 @ 7:39 pm
Excellent looking bread!
Brittany@twocrazycupcakes — March 25, 2010 @ 9:46 pm
Yum! I want to try that!
Kathleen — March 31, 2010 @ 4:02 am
Your bread looks delicious!!!
Ingrid — April 3, 2010 @ 4:42 pm
Happy Easter!
~ingrid
Heather — June 11, 2010 @ 10:34 am
I like your sub. Making soda bread tomorrow- but I have to add the caraway seeds. They're the best part.
Carrie — June 25, 2010 @ 7:10 am
Hey, this looks yummy, I might skip the raisins though, I'm not a fan. I'm trying this out this weekend! thanks a lot for posting.