All I need for Saint Patrick’s Day is Irish soda bread and corned beef.

 

Irish soda bread is typically eaten on and around Saint Patrick’s Day (in the US). It is a bread that is leavened with baking soda and baking powder (no yeast!).

 

Many people say they don’t like Irish soda bread because it’s dry or hard as a brick. That is not the case with this recipe.

 

 

Every year my coworker/friend Bobby makes me a loaf of Irish soda bread.

 

Well, he retired in January and is busy enjoying not working and hopefully getting some traveling in like we had talked about so I don’t see myself getting a loaf this year.

 

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However, I thought I found a great substitution. Another coworker’s mother makes Irish soda bread every year and brings it in. It is super tender, crisp, and made with golden raisins.

 

We asked for the recipe.

 

First were told that it was a family recipe (CODE: Too bad for you).

 

NEGOTIATIONS

 

I recently learned how to make candied bacon (recipe to come soon). OMG! Yes it’s even better than it sounds.

 

There were talks of trading recipes, but then we got the “My mom doesn’t write anything down” story.

 

Seriously?! I call BS, but what can you do.

 

Well, like my best banana pudding recipe quest, I do not disappoint.

 

I went through many many Irish soda bread recipes online. After trying a few different ones I can say I found the best moist, easy Irish soda bread recipe (see: foolproof).

 

I’ve already made it 3 times (even with substitutions) and it disappears every time.

 

 

In a large bowl whisk together 5 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda.

 

Add in 1/2 cup, room temperature butter. You can use a wooden spoon or your hands. Mix until the butter is fully incorporated. It will resemble big crumbs.

 

Next, stir in 2 tablespoons of caraway seeds and 2 1/2 cups of raisins (can be substituted or combined with currants, craisins, golden raisins). Caraway seeds have a unique smell and taste and (in my opinion) makes for a more traditional Irish soda bread.

 

 

 

The original recipe called for 3 tablespoons of caraway seeds and the reason I didn’t put that much in was because I was being cheap. I would have had to use the entire contents of the  small bottle I bought, which was NOT cheap lol. Well this turned out to be a good thing because 3 tablespoons would have been way too much.

 

Next stir in 1 egg and 2 1/2 cups buttermilk into the flour mixture just until the flour disappears.

 

 

This Irish soda bread recipe is unlike any one I have tried before because it doesn’t require kneading. The mixture resembles more of a wet dough.

The original recipe says to score the dough with a marking of the cross. I’ve already made this Irish soda bread three times and there was no way the marking was going to stay.

 

Divide the batter/dough into two well-greased 9″ round cake pans. You can also use a cast iron skillet if you have one.

 

Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour at 350°F until it is cooked through. Check using a tester.

 

 

Let the bread cool for 10 minutes in the pans and then transfer to a wire rack.

 

Serve your Irish soda bread however you prefer. With butter, no butter, toasted (my favorite).

 

Irish soda bread can be wrapped tightly (in saran wrap then tin foil) and saved for a few days, but it probably won’t last that long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

 

 

 

 

Tasty, easy Irish soda bread recipe