Need an Irish Soda Bread Recipe? We've Got You Covered

Today is St. Patrick's Day and whatever your heritage, it sure is fun being Irish for a day. It's a Holy day, honoring Saint Patrick who brought the Catholic faith to Ireland. But, it's also an opportunity for a home cook like me to try something new and authentically Irish. Years ago, my dear friend, Maura Clarke Perier gave me her grandmother's recipe for Irish soda bread. It's a treasure as it came all the way from Ireland and was good enough to be passed down through the generations. So, after years of baking this bread, I'm finally asking Maura to tell me about her grandma and the recipe she calls Irish Bread (From My Grandmother). 

"My Grandma or Beatrice McNicholas Lydon came from  Castlesheenahaughn, County Mayon in the western part of Ireland.  She moved to the United States at 16 and eventually settled in Newark as a cook in a domestic household and eventually the head cook.  She maintained her strong Irish heritage and love of cooking even when she settled down to marry and raise her family.  Her real name was Bridget, but she changed it to Beatrice when she arrived at Ellis Island.  An aunt already in the U.S. told her there were so many Bridgets from Ireland, they were made fun of because they were the "Irish Bridgets"."  

One thing they didn't make fun of was her Irish bread. Growing up in Ireland, Maura's Grandma cooked her bread almost every day on an open fire in a cast iron skillet with a lid over it. While each region of Ireland cooks their Irish bread in a skillet, this particular recipe was the one in Maura's family and most likely her Grandmother learned it from her mother who learned it from her mother.

On and around St. Patrick's Day, Irish soda bread can be found everywhere, but there's nothing like baking the real thing from scratch. It's a unique bread because it's made without yeast but the combination of baking soda and buttermilk gives it a lofty height and a rich density at the same time. Dark raisins and caraway seeds fleck the dough giving it an irresistible flavor especially when its slathered with rich Irish butter.

Every time I make this bread, I'm reminded that so often it's just a simple recipe that keeps us connected to our past. So Grandma, Happy St. Patrick's Day. This one's for you!

Irish Bread (From My Grandmother)

Makes 1  loaf

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 50-60 minutes 

1 cup sugar

4 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

2 large eggs

1 1/2  cups buttermilk

1 1/2 cups dark raisins (optional)

1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a cast iron pan or use a well seasoned one.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour baking powder, baking soda and salt.  with clean fingers or two knives,  cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in raisins and caraway seeds.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat eggs.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of the egg.   Stir in buttermilk into remaining egg and stir into flour mixture until flour is moistened.  Dough will be sticky.

Turn dough onto a floured work surface and kneed about 10 strokes to thoroughly combine ingredients.  Shape into a ball and place in the skillet.  In the center of the ball, cut a cross, about 4 inches across and 1/4 inch deep (this will help it cook evenly).   Brush dough with reserved egg.

Bake 50-60 minutes until golden brown and tester comes out clean.  Cool, remove from skillet,  slice and serve with rich Irish butter.

Summit Patch food columnist, Amy Currie, a mother of three and teacher at the  Kings Cooking Studio in Short Hills, is the author of Memoirs of a Home Cook, Every Great Recipe Has a Story and her latest cookbook, Secrets of a Home Cook. You can e-mail her at summitpatchdish@gmail.com. 

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