Festive Foodie: Irish Soda Bread

Of all the things I am in terms of my heritage and where my family originates from, French-Canadian and English pretty much take up the bulk of the percentages, and while there’s the smallest of small amounts of Irish in me on my mother’s side – it’s not nearly enough to count.

It never stopped me from celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in South Boston throughout my life, of course – since being able to trace even the smallest, most obscure parts of your lineage back to Ireland meant it was socially acceptable, and encouraged, to chug green beer before 11AM and line the streets to people watch at the city’s annual parade each year. My twenties were a blur, really.

But even though I’ll be spending this upcoming St. Patrick’s Day Weekend in calmer, less noisy surroundings (and with no green beer in sight, hopefully!) doesn’t mean I can’t still get into the spirit of the holiday and bake something traditional to celebrate – especially if it’s something as quick, easy and perfect-for-any-occasion as a classic soda bread!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

1 LOAF/SERVING:

1 ¾ cups buttermilk
1 large egg
4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for your hands and counter
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 cup raisins (optional)

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a regular baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in one medium bowl, and set aside. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers. Once the butter is incorporated, stir in the raisins.

2. Pour in the buttermilk/egg mixture. Gently fold the dough together until dough it is too stiff/dense to stir. Pour dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured hands, work the dough into a ball, then knead for about 30 seconds or until all the flour is moistened. If the dough is feeling sticky, add a little more flour.

3. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the bread is golden brown and center appears cooked through, about 45-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm, at room temperature, or toasted with desired toppings and spreads.

____________________

I’ve been enjoying this one in the mornings with my coffee, and usually with a little butter spread on top or maple cream I recently picked up from one of the sugar houses in the area. Combined with the raisins – it makes for a great breakfast treat!

Here’s wishing you all a fun and safe weekend leading up to Monday’s actual holiday. I’ll be back next week with a look back at my weekend and a peek into some of my new Winter-to-Spring wardrobe!