Irish Soda Bread

St. Patrick's Day is the 17th. of March.

This traditional Irish Fruit Bread 

is quick to make and packed with flavour.

A excellent combination of currants, 

orange rind and cranberries.

The buttermilk and baking soda together

is used for the leaven in the bread,

 instead of yeast.

Ingredients:

4 cups white flour

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/4  cup cold unsalted butter diced

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

(if you don't have buttermilk, add 1 tbsp.

of lemon juice (or white vinegar) per cup of milk,
and let sit for 15 mins.)

1 large egg

the zest of an orange

1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1/2 cup currants.

Preheat oven to 375 deg. F.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.

Cut in the butter to resemble coarse crumbs.

Add the orange rind, cranberries and currants

Mix into the four mixture with a fork.

Beat the egg and buttermilk together.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture; save
 a little to brush on the top of the loaf.

Knead the dough a few times on 

a floured board into a round loaf.
Warning... over kneading will cause tough bread.

Place on a greased cookie sheet or 

  in a greased cast iron skillet to bake.

I baked mine in a cast iron skillet in the oven.

Be careful when removing it from the oven 

not to grab the hot handle.

With a serrated knife cut an "X" deep into
the top of the bread (This helps with the cooking
of the bread in the middle)

Brush the top of the loaf with the reserved milk mixture

Bake 45-55 minutes. 375 deg. F.

Cool complete on a baking rack in pan
before removing.

Soda bread was introduced in 
the early 1800 in Ireland. 

There weren't any ovens back then. 

The bread was cooked in large cast iron pots 

with a lid that would have been 

put right on the coals or onto the fire.

Buttermilk was available from the cows 

(a by product of making butter). 

Wheat was grown at that time, 

so flour was available.   

Thanks for your visit xo

To view my blog on "An Irish Tea", click here.