The Rocks and Shoals of Irish Soda Bread

I love St. Patrick's Day!  Other than making sure I serve Corned Beef and Cabbage, have Guinness in the house, and wear something green, it's a no stress holiday.  Where I live on Long Island, we have a very robust Irish community where literally we all are Irish on March 17th and we take the wearing of the green very seriously.  From the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade down 5th Avenue in Manhattan to our small town's 'Friends of St. Patrick's Day' Parade, everyone gets into the act and we celebrate loud and proud!

Every year on parade day, I make Corned Beef and Cabbage (which is really American--but tradition is tradition!) and I highly recommend Chef Paul Prudhomme's recipe for New England Boiled Dinner aka Corned Beef and Cabbage.  It's to die for.  Really.  And to go along with it I always serve Irish Soda Bread, a recipe from an Irish family in our town.

 

What makes this bread special is how very light, moist and tender it is for a quick bread.  Irish Soda Bread is sweeter than it's cousin, Irish Brown Soda Bread, which is not sweet, but a heartier, savory loaf made with whole wheat flour, wheat germ and oats.

The trick with any scone or scone like bread--which is what this is--is not to over mix the dough.  The eggs are beaten with the buttermilk, the raisins are tossed in just after the first mix of the wet to dry ingredients.  The dough is not kneaded, but tossed in the bowl to incorporate the flour and pull it somewhat together.  It will look shaggy and that's when it's ready to bake.  You can bake this in a springform pan if you'd like, or free form it into one large, round loaf.  I often divide it into two loaves, one to keep one to give. Whatever you do, do not handle this dough too much.  It may look like a piece or two of the dough will break off--that's okay.  Not over mixing or over forming this dough is the trick to light, tender soda bread.  It also gives you the rocks and shoals of the craggy Irish coastline in crust form, which is what an Irish gal I worked with one summer said when I baked this recipe.  Don't forget to cut the traditional X in the top of the unbaked bread which allows the heat to reach the center of the bread, at least that's reason I was given.  I always cut into the unbaked loaves, it being tradition and all.

This bread keeps well when wrapped and stored in the refrigerator.  You can wrap it well once it is completely cooled and freeze it for up to 3 months.  Serve it with your favorite stew or alongside corned beef and cabbage, as I do.  It's wonderful toasted for breakfast, or with a cup of tea for an afternoon snack.  Butter it up, close your eyes and take a bite--you can almost hear the soft lilt of an Irish brogue asking you to butter another piece to share.  

Irish Soda Bread 

Preheat oven to 350° 
Bake 1 hour, approximately
1 10" Springform Pan

•  4  cups flour, all purpose

•  1  teaspoon baking soda

•  2  teaspoons baking powder

•  1  teaspoon  salt

•  1  cup sugar

•  4  ounces butter, only marginally room temperature

•  2  large eggs

•  1-1/4  cups buttermilk

•  1  cup raisins

•  1  tablespoon caraway seeds if desired. 

Prepare a 10" springform pan or line baking sheet with parchment or Silpat mat.  Set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.  Break the butter into the bowl, tossing to coat with the flour.  Continue to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse meal.  If using, add the caraway seeds, tossing to distribute throughout the flour.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

Measure the buttermilk.  Add the two eggs and beat to mix.  Pour into the well in the center of the flour mixture and using a fork or spatula, begin to bring the sides of the well into the milk and eggs.  Add the raisins at this point.  Continue to toss--not stir--the dough until it is very shaggy.  At this point, use your fingers to gently toss the dough together and pull the remaining flour into the dough.  There may be some flour leftover at the bottom of the bowl, this is okay.  

Turn the dough into the prepared springform pan or onto lined baking sheet.  If using the baking sheet and free-forming the dough, gently push into a round.  With a serrated knife, cut and X in the top of the loaf.  

Bake in a 350° preheated oven for 1 hour.  At this point, test the center.  If it is still a bit doughy, continue to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until it tests done.  If making 2 smaller rounds, test them at 50 minutes.

When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.  

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