American Irish Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick's Day week. Are you in the green n' Irish spirit? Have you figured out your St. Patrick's Day menu? I'll be sticking with our traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage with a few sides. I may even branch out and try Colcannon for the first time. Last year I discovered just how delicious Irish Soda Bread tasted. I couldn't believe I'd been making St. Patrick's Day dinner for nearly seven years and never made this delicious quick bread. It wasn't intimidating at all. In fact, it was rather easy to make and bake.

Irish Soda Bread is wonderfully fragrant, possesses an anise-like spice and are extremely flavorful. Irish Soda Bread is distinct because of two unique and traditional ingredients: caraway seeds and currants. I remember the excitement when I had my first slice last year. The combination of caraway seeds and plump, dried currents in the just-sweet-enough batter was sublime. I wanted to blert out in my best Irish accent, "A delicious soda bread, indeed!" 

I hope you'll consider adding Irish Soda Bread to your St. Patrick's Day menu this year. It was quite easy to make and the delicious results of the bread are far superior. I found the recipe on the King Arthur Flour Blog last year, if you don't follow it, you should. Their bloggers consistently post delicious baking tips and delightful, timely recipes. Head over to their blog and view a step-by-step recipe post to see how easy it is to make their recipe for American Irish Soda Bread.

American Irish Soda Bread

from The King Arthur Flour Blog

Ingredients:

Bread
3 cups Perfect Pastry Blend OR King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
heaping 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup currants or raisins
1 tablespoon caraway seeds, optional
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups buttermilk*
4 tablespoons butter, melted
*No buttermilk in the house? Substitute 1 cup milk + 3/4 cup (one 6-ounce container) plain or vanilla yogurt

Topping
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon coarse white sparkling sugar

1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the pastry blend or flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, currants, and caraway seeds.

3) In a separate bowl, or in a measuring cup, whisk together the egg and buttermilk (or milk and yogurt).

4) Quickly and gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

5) Stir in the melted butter.

6) Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Draw your finger around the edge of the pan to create a "moat." Drizzle the bread with the 1 tablespoon of milk; the moat will help prevent the milk from running down the sides of the loaf. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.

7) Bake the bread for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean; the interior of the bread will measure 200°F to 210° on an instant-read thermometer.

8) Remove the bread from the oven, loosen its edges, and after 5 minutes turn it out onto a rack to cool. Cool completely before slicing. Wrap airtight and store at room temperature.

Yield: 1 loaf.

This recipe reprinted from The Baker's Catalogue, Spring through Summer 2001.

Hands-on time: 10 mins. to 12 mins.
Baking time: 50 mins. to 60 mins.
Total time: 60 mins. to 1 hrs 12 mins.
Yield: 1 loaf

Other St. Patrick's Day recipes and posts you may like:
2011 St. Patrick's Day Menu on Project Domestication
White Chocolate-Creme de Menthe Ice Cream by Cafe Johnsonia
Chocolate Mint Cupcakes by Taste and Tell
Lucky Charms Marshmallows by Barbara Bakes
Irish Cream Cheesecake Fudge Brownies by Cookin' Canuck
Mint Chocolate Pudding Dessert Shots by The Vintage Mixer