Wednesday, March 10, 2010

A Savory Irish Soda Bread


My mother made Irish soda bread anytime of the year; it's one of those quick breads that takes little time to make and very few ingredients.  I came across this recipe while visiting Ireland in 1993 during our 25th Anniversary trip.  We had taken a bus to Waterford and ate at a little restaurant before going to a play.  The soda bread that came with our dinner was so unusual...it was savory and had no raisins in it, like the one I had made from my mother's recipe.  This one had cheddar cheese and chives which accompanied our entree so perfectly.  Slathered with Irish butter, it truly was something to remember.

When I make Irish soda bread, there are two ingredients I always use; buttermilk and KerryGold Pure Irish Butter and this recipe is no different.
Preheat oven to 350Fdegrees.  Spray a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
4 cups all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
6 T unsalted butter, cold

Place all of these ingredients in a bowl of a food processor and pulse until the butter is incorporated.  Transfer mixture to a large bowl.

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
Whisk these ingredients together and then, pour over the dry ingredients.
 I use my dough whisk to blend the wet and dry ingredients.  Next, I add 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and 2 Tablespoons chopped chives. (Note: I didn't have any fresh chives today...they're just starting to come up outside and I didn't want to use dried) Mix well, then knead a few times to form a ball.
I mix my dough in this wooden bowl my mother gave me when I got married.  She believed all I'd need was a wooden bowl and an iron skillet!  Once the dough is shaped, I place it in the prepared casserole dish and slash the top with a serrated knife.  Brush the top with a little buttermilk and egg to give it a golden color and place in the oven.  Bake for 75 minutes or until a wooden skewer poked in the center comes out clean.
Let cool completely before slicing.  Have extra KerryGold butter to slather on and let it melt in your mouth.  Enjoy!

6 comments:

  1. Make for us next week. OK, please.

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  3. I not only will make this for ye, but I'm bringing a loaf of my traditional Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick's Day.

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  4. I am going to bake the Savory Irish Soda Bread tomorrow night for our traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find the "Kerry Gold" butter. I hope "LandOLakes" will be an acceptable substitute.

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  5. You would probably have to go to Whole Foods to get it in your area. I made this recipe for years with LandOLakes before coming across KerryGold and it turns out really good.

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  6. I can't tell you how excited I am to have this recipe! Every Irish Soda Bread recipe I ever see has raisins, currants or some other dried fruit in it. Now there are things that I love dried fruit in (I have yet to find the thing I love raisins in) but I've discovered, Irish Soda bread isn't one of them. Your recipe perfect. We will enjoy it tomorrow with our Corned Beef, Cabbage and Turnips :)

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