Skip to main content

Irish Soda Bread



Irish soda bread can be traced back to the late 1830s, when baking soda was first introduced in the United Kingdom. Because there was widespread famine at the time, the bread became popular out of a need to make the most out of only a few ingredients and the most basic cooking equipment. Baking soda acts as a substitute for yeast in the bread, since yeast wasn’t readily available at the time. Soda bread has since become a mainstay of Irish St. Patrick’s Day fare. There is even a Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread.

Because it’s so easy to make, soda bread has been one of my go-to recipes for times when I'm tired or not able to make a run to the grocery store but still want to bake something, either to entertain guests or just to make myself happy. One thing I've learned about soda bread is that the standard is not set very high for it. Many people think it’s bland, but they just haven’t had good soda bread. Still, because people don't necessarily expect it to taste amazing, just the fact that it's freshly baked gives you extra points. Mostly, I make it to remind myself that it is Spring (even if it may not look or feel like it) and maybe I can still attract a little luck into my life now and then. Speaking of luck, the cross that is traditionally cut in the center of the round loaf before baking is believed to let the fairies out and/or protect the household from evil.

If you make soda bread, chances are it will taste as good or better than the store-bought stuff. (Again, the bar has not been set very high.) You can substitute ingredients and it will still likely turn out good. While Irish soda bread can range from savory to sweet, this recipe makes a slightly sweet yet still wholesome version. 

Irish Soda Bread

*loosely based on the New York Times' recipe for traditional soda bread 

9-inch round baking pan

3 1/2 c. flour (I used half regular and half whole wheat flour)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. caraway seeds (flax seeds can also be used)

1 1/2 c. raisins

1/2 c. melted butter or margarine

2 c. buttermilk (or 2 c. non-dairy milk mixed with 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar)

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease and flour pan. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the melted butter and milk. Mix together with a wooden spoon or pastry cutter. The dough will be sticky, and eventually you will reach the point where you need to use your bare hands to finish mixing it. That's OK because you can brag about it later. Pour the dough into the pan. With a sharp knife, cut a cross in the center of the dough. 

Bake for 10-15 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes.   

Remove from oven and brush the top with milk. Cover with foil or wrap in a clean dish towel. 

I recommend having Irish soda bread for breakfast paired with strong black tea so that you can pretend for a moment that you're in a quaint seaside Irish village. 



Sources:

Gillie Houston, “Inside the Origin of Irish Soda Bread,” MyRecipes (March 10, 2018).

Katie Birtles, “The Short but Fascinating History of IrishSoda Bread,” Real Word (Trafalgar) (September 17, 2020).

Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread, http://sodabread.info/history


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Green River: The Chicago-Made Soda with the "Bubbling Snappiness" of Champagne

It has a distinct lime flavor and color. It was once the second most popular soda in the Midwest. There's a rock song named after it. What is it? Green River soda, of course. Chicago-based Schoenhofen Edelweiss Brewing Company, maker of Edelweiss beer, bought the recipe and sales rights for Green River from Davenport, Iowa, businessman Richard C. Jones in 1919. Jones, the owner of a candy store with a soda fountain, had created Green River several years earlier. Jones wanted to create a soft drink with the “bubbling snappiness" of champagne and decided that lime flavor was the way to go. A local teenager was the first to use the name “Green River” when he ordered the drink at Jones's soda fountain and the name stuck.  During the Prohibition years (1920-1933), breweries were turning to manufacturing and selling non-alcoholic goods like soda, yeast, malt syrup, carbonated coffee and tea, and ice cream. Once Schoenhofen Edelweiss started making and distributing Green River, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Simple Secret Behind Portillo's Famous Chocolate Cake

Chicago-based fast food chain Portillo's is known for its Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, and, somewhat unexpectedly, its chocolate cake. While it's not exactly typical fast food fare, Portillo's chocolate cake has garnered a devoted following. But what makes the cake so popular? According to the book Iconic Chicago Dishes, Drinks and Desserts , Portillo’s uses a well-known brand of cake mix plus mayonnaise. Many copycat recipes for this cake posted on the internet also use these same ingredients, so the secret is out.  Portillo's got its start i n 1963 when Dick Portillo opened a fast food stand in Villa Park out of a small trailer he named "The Dog House." The trailer didn't have a bathroom and got its running water from a garden hose hooked up to a neighboring building. Today there are more than 70 Portillo’s locations across Chicagoland and the U.S., none of them in trailers. Portillo’s added chocolate cake to its menu during its earl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pullman Bread: A Slice of the Past

Light, fluffy Pullman bread hearkens back to the days of luxury travel on Chicago's Pullman railcars in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when the bread was a staple of the fine cuisine served in Pullman’s chandeliered dining cars. The Chicago-based Pullman company favored the use of a special rectangular bread pan with a sliding flat lid that was compact and easy to store on the train cars. Even though this type of pan was already being used in the baking world to make pain de mie sandwich bread, it became so closely associated with Pullman trains that it came to be known as the Pullman pan. Bread baked in this type of pan was ideal for use in Pullman kitchens because both the bread and the pans stacked well and made for an efficient use of space.  Bakers use the Pullman pan today to bake soft sandwich bread with an even crumb, a fine texture, and minimal crust.  The Pullman Palace Car Company was founded in 1867 by George Pullman with the goal of making train travel a more co...
Post a Comment
Read more