Soda Bread – Traditional & Irish-American

Before this week, I didn't realize that Sister Mary’s Irish Soda Bread is not Irish, it's Irish-American.  I adore the rich and raisin-filled bread, and I've usually made it (or a close approximation) each year as St. Patrick's Day rolls around.

I do fondly remember eating earthy, unsweetened brown bread when my family traveled to Ireland about 15 years ago.  We called it "brown bread" and let it go at that.  I had no idea that the thick hand-cut slices I devoured in every pub, restaurant, and B&B we visited is, in fact, traditional, 4-ingredient Irish soda bread. 

My newfound understanding is courtesy of Steve Webb and his delightful American Food Roots essay on making traditional soda bread.  Since reading his essay a few days ago, I've found lots of recipes and references for the traditional type, and from now on, I won't mistake the Irish-American version for traditional soda bread.

While they are wholly different in texture and taste, both types are easy to make and quick to bake, with no yeast, rising, or prolonged kneading required in either case.  When I raise a glass of Guinness Stout or Harp Lager this weekend on St. Patty's Day, I'll toast them both - Viva La Difference!

I've already given you my husband's family recipe for Irish-American soda bread.  Here is my take on the traditional Irish version.

Because it has only 4 ingredients (whole wheat or white flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk), there are limited variations on the traditional Irish soda bread.  I used King Arthur “white whole wheat” as a compromise between whole wheat, which I find too heavy, and white flour, which seemed like a cop-out to me.  The result was quite pleasant, wheaty but not overwhelmingly so.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread - 2 small loaves or 1 large loaf

Click to read more ...

Baketogether English Muffins Re-imagined as Crumpets

When she chose Whole Wheat Honey English Muffins as this month’s Baketogether, Abby Dodge could not have known that she created a delightful coincidence for me.  I recently received 3 packets of Red Star Platinum yeast through a Kosher Eye giveaway.  Multi-tasking is not my strength and this was “beshert” – Hebrew for “meant to be.” 

Initially, I planned an orange-scented version of English muffins, perhaps with fresh rosemary.  But being a good wife, I asked my husband what “add ins” appealed to him.  He requested candied ginger, mentioning that he hoped for a treat similar to the ginger scones he loves.  So I headed back to my candied ginger obsession, adding orange rind so as not to give up entirely on my original plan. 

Why call them crumpets?  When my husband heard that these are supposed to be English muffins, he asked whether they have to be named that.  I think his preference for scones over muffins motivated the question, but it could be his Irish ancestry peeking through.  Without butter and cream, I could not bear to mis-name them scones, and we settled on crumpets.  Call them what you will, they are delicious.

Click to read more ...

Cranberry Nut Bread

When Thanksgiving is just a pleasant memory and I’ve put all the good dishes and fancy napkins away (OK, the napkins still linger on the ironing board), I still have cranberries.  In fact, I buy extra, so that I can bake this cranberry nut bread.  

The cranberry season is relatively short in my area; they seem to disappear from local (mid Atlantic) groceries stores by late December, just as winter sets in.  But unlike fresh tomatoes and most fruits, cranberries freeze well.  They have to be cooked or baked anyway – they are too tart to be eaten raw except if chopped and mixed with a sweetener, as in raw cranberry relish – and you can don’t have to prepare or rewrap them to freeze them. 

I came upon this recipe by accident or by laziness, depending on your view.  A few years ago I decided that the cranberry bread recipes I had tried weren't working - the batter was either too delicate to stand up to the tart cranberries or too heavy.  So I experimented with a variation on my favorite banana bread recipe and realized that it had just the right consistency. 

If you are brave you can probably fit all the batter into the loaf pan without it running over during baking, but I am a coward.  To avoid burned drippings on my oven floor, I reserve a small amount of batter for 1 large or 2 small “bonus” muffins.

Cranberry Nut Bread 

Click to read more ...