![](\"http:\/\/images.quickblogcast.com\/2\/4\/6\/4\/2\/133294-124642\/IrishSodaBread.jpg?a=10\")
In preparation for St. Patrick’s Day next week, I dusted off an old recipe for Irish soda bread that a friend gave me years ago. If you’ve been averse to soda bread because you find it tough and dry, try this version. Sour cream and eggs make this bread more moist than traditional soda bread, a quality that may offend die-hard , but will likely appeal to the rest of us.<\/p>\n
Breads generally fall into two categories: quick breads or yeast breads. Quick breads, as the name implies, are faster to prepare because you simply mix the ingredients and bake. Baking soda or baking powder is the leavening agent that makes quick breads rise. Yeast bread, on the other hand, uses yeast at the leavening agent, and needs to be proofed, dough kneaded until elastic, and then allowed to rise twice before baking. Yes, quite a bit more time and effort, and hence my affection for quick breads like Irish soda bread.<\/p>\n
Soda bread is a staple in Irish cuisine, served at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This version with raisins is mildly sweet and perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea. In fact, when I served toasted slices to my kids, they squealed in delight, “Oooh! Giant biscotti!” You could make a savory version by reducing the sugar and using caraway seeds (available at most health food stores or specialty grocers) or sunflower seeds (note: baking soda makes them turn a dark green, so don’t be alarmed).<\/p>\n
This bread is a cinch to make, but another option for St. Paddy’s day is beer bread mix at Trader Joe’s. Simply mix the box with 1 bottle of beer, and drizzle melted butter on top before baking. I found that the 1\/4 cup butter called for on the box was too much and would reduce to 1-2 Tbsp next time.<\/p>\n
The one warning about quick breads like soda bread and beer bread is that they’re best eaten immediately, right out of the oven, or within a day or two. After that, the bread starts to get harden rapidly, and you could put your teeth at risk by trying to eat it.<\/p>\n
This recipe makes 1 large loaf, or split the dough in two and make an extra loaf to share with a friend or neighbor.<\/p>\n
Irish Soda Bread recipe<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n 3 1\/2 cups flour 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sweet variations: substitute cranberries, currants, or dried blueberries for the raisins. Prep time: 15 minutes In preparation for St. Patrick’s Day next week, I dusted off an old recipe for Irish soda bread that a friend gave me years ago. If you’ve been averse to soda bread because you find it tough and dry, try this version. Sour cream and eggs make this bread more moist than traditional soda bread, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3666,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-409931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3666"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409931\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
1\/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup raisins
2 eggs
1 (16 oz) container regular or light sour cream (2 cups)<\/p>\n
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add raisins and mix them in with your fingers, making sure raisins separate and are coated with flour. This way the raisins won’t all clump together in the dough.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, and then add sour cream and combine again. Add to flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon just until combined. Dough will be sticky, like biscuit dough. Do not overmix, as this will result in tough bread.
4. Dust your hands with flour and lightly shape dough into a circular mound, approx 8″ wide. Use a gentle touch; do not knead or handle dough too much. Transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet (or line baking sheet with a Silpat<\/a>), and cut a big X on top. Not only does this make your bread look quite professional, but it also allows the heat to get to the center. I’ve also read that Irish folklore says the cuts “let the fairies out.”
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. If splitting dough into 2 loaves, check for doneness at 35 minutes.<\/p>\n
Savory variations: reduce sugar to 2 Tbsp, omit raisins, and instead use 1 Tbsp caraway seeds or 1 cup sunflower seeds.
<\/em>
Note: white flour will yield softer, fluffier bread, but for extra fiber, you can a mixture of white flour and whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour versions won’t rise as much and will be noticeably denser.<\/p>\n
Hands-off cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves 16<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"