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We are continuing our St. Patrick’s Day Recipes today with St. Patrick’s Day Sides and Irish Soda Bread. If you are looking for St. Patrick’s Day Appetizers or Main Dishes, we have you covered. And stay tuned for some fun St. Patrick’s Day Drinks tomorrow.
Irish Soda Bread is a traditional bread served on St. Patrick’s Day, this is what the Society of Preservation of Soda Bread has to say…
“Just like the bagpipes weren’t invented by the Scots, Soda Bread wasn’t invented by the Irish. The earliest reference to using soda ash in baking bread seems to be credited to American Indians using it to leaven their bread. Pearl Ash was used prior to 1800 to make cakes by combining it with an acidic ingredient in the dough. However, as the Scots have made the bagpipe their instrument, the Irish have made Soda Bread theirs. Not by choice, but by a state of poverty that made it the easiest bread to put on the table.”
I’ve seen many variations of Irish Soda Bread, but I love it with dried cranberries and orange zest. There is something about the combination of cranberries and orange that is so refreshing.
While most breads have yeast to make them light, Irish Soda Bread does not contain yeast, so it is a heavy, dense bread, but very good!
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl – flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Using a mixer, cut in cold butter
- In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, egg and orange zest, beat lightly with a fork. {Note: to make buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon vinegar to measuring cup and fill to amount needed with milk, let set a couple minutes} Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients.
- Place dried cranberries in a bowl and add about 1 tablespoon flour, coat cranberries {this will help them from settling on the bottom}
- Fold cranberries into mixture
- On a heavily floured surface, knead dough. Work with about half of the dough, it’s easier that way. You want to add enough flour so it’s not sticky, but not too much flour
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Form dough into balls, and place on greased cookie sheet. Using a sharp knife, make a cross in the top of the bread. Bake for about 35 minutes depending on the size of your loaf.
A traditional bread to serve on St. Patrick's Day, good enough for any day. Recipe from PocketChangeGourmet.com
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour, all-purpose, plus a little extra for dried cranberries
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
- 1 Egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl - flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Using a mixer, cut in cold butter
- In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, egg and orange zest, beat lightly with a fork. {Note: to make buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon vinegar to measuring cup and fill to amount needed with milk, let set a couple minutes} Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients.
- Place dried cranberries in a bowl and add about 1 tablespoon flour, coat cranberries {this will help them from settling on the bottom}
- Fold cranberries into mixture
- On a heavily floured surface, knead dough. Work with about half of the dough, it's easier that way. You want to add enough flour so it's not sticky, but not too much flour
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Form dough into balls, and place on greased cookie sheet. Using a sharp knife, make a cross in the top of the bread. Bake for about 35 minutes depending on the size of your loaf.
Here are a few more St. Patrick’s Day Side Dishes you may like…
- Fried Smashed Potatoes
- Spinach Salad with nuts from Eat at Home
- Colcannon Potatoes from Taste of Home
- Fresh Green Beans
Are you cooking for St. Patrick’s Day? What’s on your menu?
Linking to…Transformation Thursday, Gooseberry Patch, Show & Tell Friday
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I love irish soda bread looks really good.
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